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Does a role for selenium in DNA damage repair explain apparent controversies in its use in chemoprevention?

Soumen Bera1, Viviana De Rosa, Walid Rachidi

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Mutagenesis
|December 4, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Selenium, an essential trace element, may prevent cancer by enhancing DNA repair mechanisms. Supplementation reduces DNA damage and mutations, potentially by boosting antioxidant selenoproteins and DNA repair enzymes.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Selenium is an essential trace element investigated for cancer chemoprevention.
  • The precise mechanisms of selenium's chemopreventive effects are not fully understood.
  • Evidence suggests selenium may enhance DNA damage repair responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of selenium in DNA damage repair as a potential cancer chemopreventive mechanism.
  • To elucidate how selenium supplementation influences cellular processes related to DNA integrity.
  • To reconcile conflicting data on selenium's efficacy through mechanistic insights.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental evidence from cell cultures, animal models, and human clinical studies.
  • Analysis of selenium's role as a component of key selenoproteins (e.g., glutathione peroxidases, thioredoxin reductases).
  • Investigation of selenium's impact on DNA repair enzymes and pathways (e.g., DNA glycosylases, p53, BRCA1, Gadd45).

Main Results:

  • Selenium supplementation has been shown to reduce DNA adducts and chromosome breaks in various models.
  • Selenium is a critical component of selenoproteins involved in antioxidant defense and maintaining a reducing cellular environment.
  • Selenium may protect DNA by preventing damage and enhancing the activity of DNA repair enzymes and pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Selenium's chemopreventive potential may be partly mediated by its role in enhancing DNA repair.
  • Understanding selenium's impact on DNA repair could clarify discrepancies in research findings.
  • Further research into these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing selenium's application in cancer prevention.

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