title: Redox-active selenium compounds--from toxicity and cell death to cancer treatment.
abstract: Selenium is generally known as an antioxidant due to its presence in selenoproteins as selenocysteine, but it is also toxic. The toxic effects of selenium are, however, strictly concentration and chemical species dependent. One class of selenium compounds is a potent inhibitor of cell growth with remarkable tumor specificity. These redox active compounds are pro-oxidative and highly cytotoxic to tumor cells and are promising candidates to be used in chemotherapy against cancer. Herein we elaborate upon the major forms of dietary selenium compounds, their metabolic pathways, and their antioxidant and pro-oxidant potentials with emphasis on cytotoxic mechanisms. Relative cytotoxicity of inorganic selenite and organic selenocystine compounds to different cancer cells are presented as evidence to our perspective. Furthermore, new novel classes of selenium compounds specifically designed to target tumor cells are presented and the potential of selenium in modern oncology is extensively discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology F46, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm 141 86, Sweden. sougat.misra@ki.se.
authors.forename: Sougat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Misra
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 41270, Lubbock, TX 79409-1270, USA. mallory.boylan@ttu.edu.
authors.forename: Mallory
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boylan
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology F46, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm 141 86, Sweden. arun.selvam@ki.se.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selvam
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 41270, Lubbock, TX 79409-1270, USA. Julian.Spallholz@ttu.edu.
authors.forename: Julian E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Spallholz
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology F46, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm 141 86, Sweden. Mikael.Bjornstedt@ki.se.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Björnstedt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D051140:Selenoproteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D051140:Selenoproteins
keywords: antioxidants; cancer; cytotoxicity; selenium; selenoproteins; tumor