title: Dose-response relationship study of selenium nanoparticles as an immunostimulatory agent in cancer-bearing mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Oral administration of selenium nanoparticles has an immunomodulatory effect on individuals with cancer. In the present study we aimed to compare the cancer preventive effect via administration of different doses of selenium nanoparticles in mice with cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty 6- to 8-week-old inbred female BALB/c mice were used and divided into four test and control groups; each group contained ten mice. Group 1 (administered PBS) was used as the control and the test groups 2, 3, and 4 were daily administered 50, 100, and 200 μg of selenium nanoparticles, respectively, for 60 days. After 60 days, tumor induction was carried out and 10 days later serum samples were collected to measure the cytokines. Tumor growth and life span of the mice were also monitored during the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed a significant increase in serum IFN-γ and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 in all administered doses compared to control. In addition, in mice that received higher doses of selenium nanoparticles (200 μg/day), lower tumor volume and extended life span were observed compared to control. Administration of selenium nanoparticles in normal mice without tumor challenge caused a nonsignificant increase in cytokine production, indicating that selenium supplementation has no effect on the immune response in the absence of tumor challenge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 200-μg dose of selenium nanoparticles can induce more efficient responses against breast tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Elnaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faghfuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yazdi
authors.affiliation: Recombinant Vaccine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahdavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zargham
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sepehrizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Faramarzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Faranak
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mavandadnejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: shahverd@sina.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Shahverdi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D018890:Chemoprevention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012643:Selenium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Breast tumor; Life span; Preventive strategy; Selenium nanoparticles; Tumor growth