Chromium and Selenium Flashcards
History of selenium
- 1930s- Selenium (Se) thought to be responsible for toxicitiy in cattle eating ‘toxic’ plants.
- 1940s- High dose Se rodent study thought to cause frequency of ‘neoplasms’ in liver
- 1957- Se prevents liver necrosis in rodents (original cancer-forming study not reproducible)
- 1960-1970 Se demonstrated to be nutritionally essential and has anti-carcinogenic activity
- 25 ‘selenoproteins’ currently identified. Se is incorporated into the protein during co-translational synthesis of the target protein as Selenocysteine (Sec)
How does selenium function
via ‘Selenoproteins’
* any protein that includes a selenocysteine (Sec, U, Se-Cys) amino acid residue
Chief Biological Functions of Selenium via ‘Selenoproteins’
- Antioxidant
- Enzymic conversion T4 to T3
Role of selenium as an antioxidant
Redox status regulation
* selenium is a part of the glutathione peroxidase which reduces hydrogen peroxide to water thus preventing oxidative stress
Major Selenoproteins
- Glutathione Peroxidase-1 (GTX-1)
- Glutathione Peroxidase-2 (or GTX-GI)
- Glutathione Peroxidase-3 (GTX-3)
- Phospholipid hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase (or GTX-4)
- Iodothyronine 5’-Deiodinase (DI-1)
Glutathione Peroxidase-1 (GTX-1)
Specific for glutathione (GSH), in most cells and plasma. Not reactive for lipid or sterols. GTX-1 catalyses the following reaction:
* 2 x glutathione + ROOH > glutathione disulphide + ROH + H20
Glutathione Peroxidase-2 (or GTX-GI)
Similar function that of GTX-1, but expression primarily in the intestine
Glutathione Peroxidase-3 (GTX-3)
Similar functions, but found in the kidney and secreted into the plasma
* basis unclear.
Phospholipid hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase (or GTX-
4)
intracellular GPX activity, will reduce phospholipid and cholesterol hydroperoxides (not reduced by GPX-1). GPX-4 has ‘broader’ detoxifying capacity than GPX-1.
* k/o mice for GPX-4 embryonic lethal
Iodothyronine 5’-Deiodinase (DI-1)
Major enzyme (90%) that converts T4 to T3, found primarily in ER of liver and kidney cells.
* DI-2: brain, skin, adipose
* DI-3: fetal liver, CNS, muscle
What does dietary intake of Se depend on?
dependent on enrichment in soil.
* Se is derived primarily from volcanic reactions- hence large variations of enrichment in soil across the continents.
* Goes into air and eventually settles on ground so in plants and in animals; some can also go into water supply
Se in animals and plants
- Se in animal products collects as selenocysteine and Se-proteins (variations due to supplementation of Se to animals)
- Some plants can ‘accumulate’ Se to toxic levels (>mg quantities)
Se bioavailability
Hydrophyllic and highly absorbed (80-90%) efficient
Se excretion
Kidney thought to regulate excretion and liver modulate excretion
Se RDAs
- M/F = 55 ug/d
- ↑ with pregnancy and lactation
Se intake in Canada
~100-150 ug/d
Food sources of Se
Wide variety of foods
* nuts and seeds
* fish, meat, poulty
* grains and cereals
* dairy products
Keshan Disease
Selenium deficiency
Endemic of cardiomyopathy until 1980s, in children younger than. 15 years of age.15 in every thousand affected (normally 1 or 2). All surrounding regions poor in Se- very regionally dependent. Intervention study with Se in 1974- reduced frequency to 5 in 1000. All
but not normalized
* Keshan province of China