Thirunavukkarasu C, Sakthisekaran D
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Dr. ALM Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, 600113, Chennai, India.
Pharmacol Res. 2003 Aug;48(2):167-73. doi: 10.1016/s1043-6618(03)00104-x.
Selenium in the form of sodium selenite is an essential micronutrient, that acts as an antioxidant/anticancer agent by its numerous macromolecules associated with them. This study emphasizes further evidence on its role as anticancer agent in experimental rats with N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) initiated (200 mg kg(-1) body weight) and phenobarbital (PB) promoted hepatoma. Serum, whole liver tissue (control animals, n=6), hepatoma and surrounding liver tissue samples from DEN-treated rats and rats supplemented with selenite (n=6) were collected. Total protein, albumin, globulin and albumin/globulin ratio were investigated. Hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid were also quantified. Animals treated with DEN resulted in significantly decreased levels of total protein, albumin and albumin/globulin ratio; on the other hand, globulin content was increased significantly when compared to control rats. We have also observed significant increased levels of hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid in serum, whole liver tissue (control), hepatoma and surrounding liver tissue of control and experimental animals. Supplementation of selenite (4 ppm) either before initiation, during initiation and/or during promotion stages alters the above biochemical changes significantly. Thus, supplementations of selenite in cancer bearing animals reduce the adverse changes that occur during cancer condition. However, the chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic effect of selenite is more pronounced when it was supplemented before and/or during initiation of cancer when compared to promotion stage. Our results emphasize the role of sodium selenite in cancer and strongly indicate its role as an essential micronutrient in cancer chemoprevention and therapy.
亚硒酸钠形式的硒是一种必需的微量营养素，它通过与众多大分子相关联而作为抗氧化剂/抗癌剂发挥作用。本研究进一步强调了其在由N-亚硝基二乙胺（DEN）引发（200mg/kg体重）并由苯巴比妥（PB）促进的实验大鼠肝癌中作为抗癌剂的作用的证据。收集了血清、全肝组织（对照动物，n = 6）、DEN处理大鼠以及补充亚硒酸盐的大鼠（n = 6）的肝癌及周围肝组织样本。研究了总蛋白、白蛋白、球蛋白和白蛋白/球蛋白比值。还对己糖、氨基己糖和唾液酸进行了定量分析。用DEN处理的动物导致总蛋白、白蛋白和白蛋白/球蛋白比值水平显著降低；另一方面，与对照大鼠相比，球蛋白含量显著增加。我们还观察到对照和实验动物的血清、全肝组织（对照）、肝癌及周围肝组织中的己糖、氨基己糖和唾液酸水平显著升高。在引发前、引发期间和/或促进阶段补充亚硒酸盐（4ppm）会显著改变上述生化变化。因此，在患癌动物中补充亚硒酸盐可减少癌症状态下发生的不良变化。然而，与促进阶段相比，在癌症引发前和/或引发期间补充亚硒酸盐时，其化学预防/化疗效果更为明显。我们的结果强调了亚硒酸钠在癌症中的作用，并有力地表明了其作为癌症化学预防和治疗中必需微量营养素的作用。
