McCarty M
Med Hypotheses. 1984 Jan;13(1):45-50. doi: 10.1016/0306-9877(84)90129-4.
The leukotrienes, prominent mediators of immediate hypersensitivity and inflammation, are derived from the major product of leukocyte lipoxygenase activity, 5-HPETE. An alternative pathway for 5-HPETE metabolism is reduction to 5-HETE. I hypothesize that, in analogy to its established role in platelet lipoxygenase metabolism, the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase mediates this reduction. If so, supplementary selenium may decrease leukotriene production, and thus have value as a nutritional adjuvant in the management of asthma and various other inflammatory disorders.
