title: Dietary selenium in adjuvant therapy of viral and bacterial infections.
abstract: Viral and bacterial infections are often associated with deficiencies in macronutrients and micronutrients, including the essential trace element selenium. In selenium deficiency, benign strains of Coxsackie and influenza viruses can mutate to highly pathogenic strains. Dietary supplementation to provide adequate or supranutritional selenium supply has been proposed to confer health benefits for patients suffering from some viral diseases, most notably with respect to HIV and influenza A virus (IAV) infections. In addition, selenium-containing multimicronutrient supplements improved several clinical and lifestyle variables in patients coinfected with HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Selenium status may affect the function of cells of both adaptive and innate immunity. Supranutritional selenium promotes proliferation and favors differentiation of naive CD4-positive T lymphocytes toward T helper 1 cells, thus supporting the acute cellular immune response, whereas excessive activation of the immune system and ensuing host tissue damage are counteracted through directing macrophages toward the M2 phenotype. This review provides an up-to-date overview on selenium in infectious diseases caused by viruses (e.g., HIV, IAV, hepatitis C virus, poliovirus, West Nile virus) and bacteria (e.g., M. tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori). Data from epidemiologic studies and intervention trials, with selenium alone or in combination with other micronutrients, and animal experiments are discussed against the background of dietary selenium requirements to alter immune functions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steinbrenner
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and.
authors.forename: Saleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Quraishy
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dkhil
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and sies@uni-duesseldorf.de.
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sies
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects*; D012643:Selenium / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D014131:Trace Elements; D012643:Selenium
keywords: AIDS; immunity; micronutrient; selenoprotein; supplementation