title: Selenium cytotoxicity in cancer.
abstract: Selenium is an essential trace element with growth-modulating properties. Decades of research clearly demonstrate that selenium compounds inhibit the growth of malignant cells in diverse experimental model systems. However, the growth-modulating and cytotoxic mechanisms are diverse and far from clear. Lately, a remarkable tumour selective cytotoxicity of selenium compounds has been shown, indicating the potential of selenium in the treatment of cancer. Of particular interest are the redox-active selenium compounds exhibiting cytotoxic potential to tumour cells. These selenium compounds elicit complex patterns of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, leading to cell death pathways that differ among compounds. Modern oncology often focuses on targeted ligand-based therapeutic strategies that are specific to their molecular targets. These drugs are initially efficient, but the tumour cells often rapidly develop resistance against these drugs. In contrast, certain redox-active selenium compounds induce complex cascades of pro-death signalling at pharmacological concentrations with superior tumour specificity. The target molecules are often the ones that are important for the survival of cancer cells and often implicated in drug resistance. Therefore, the chemotherapeutic applications of selenium offer great possibilities of multi-target attacks on tumour cells. This MiniReview focuses on the tumour-specific cytotoxic effects of selenium, with special emphasis on cascades of cellular events induced by the major groups of pharmacologically active selenium compounds. Furthermore, the great pharmacological potential of selenium in the treatment of resistant cancers is discussed.
authors: Division of Pathology F46, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Marita
authors: M
authors: Wallenberg
authors: Sougat
authors: S
authors: Misra
authors: Mikael
authors: M
authors: Björnstedt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D012643:Selenium