title: Selenomethionine protects against adverse biological effects induced by space radiation.
abstract: Ionizing radiation-induced adverse biological effects impose serious challenges to astronauts during extended space travel. Of particular concern is the radiation from highly energetic, heavy, charged particles known as HZE particles. The objective of the present study was to characterize HZE particle radiation-induced adverse biological effects and evaluate the effect of D-selenomethionine (SeM) on the HZE particle radiation-induced adverse biological effects. The results showed that HZE particle radiation can increase oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and cell transformation in vitro, and decrease the total antioxidant status in irradiated Sprague-Dawley rats. These adverse biological effects were all preventable by treatment with SeM, suggesting that SeM is potentially useful as a countermeasure against space radiation-induced adverse effects. Treatment with SeM was shown to enhance ATR and CHK2 gene expression in cultured human thyroid epithelial cells. As ionizing radiation is known to result in DNA damage and both ATR and CHK2 gene products are involved in DNA damage, it is possible that SeM may prevent HZE particle radiation-induced adverse biological effects by enhancing the DNA repair machinery in irradiated cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 195 John Morgan Building, 3620 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA, USA. akennedy@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Ann R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ware
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Jeremiah J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Donahue
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Biaglow
authors.forename: Zhaozong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: X Steven
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; D003359:Cosmic Radiation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000528:radiation effects; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012645:Selenomethionine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012645:Selenomethionine; D064447:Checkpoint Kinase 2; C576597:ATR protein, human; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; C578634:CHEK2 protein, human; C578632:Chek2 protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases