The chemical form of selenium influences 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl-DNA adduct formation in rat colon.

There is increasing evidence that selenium can protect against tumorigenesis or preneoplastic lesion development induced by chemical carcinogens. This study examined whether selenite, selenate or selenomethionine would be protective against 3, 2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl (DMABP)-DNA adduct formation in the liver and colon of rats and sought to delineate the mechanism for the protective effects of the different chemical forms of selenium against aberrant crypt formation, a preneoplastic lesion for colon cancer. After injection of DMABP, two DNA adducts were identified in the liver and colon of rats. Supplementation with either 0.1 or 2.0 mg selenium/kg diet as either selenite or selenate but not selenomethionine resulted in significantly fewer (53-70%; P < 0.05) N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3, 2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl (C8-DMABP)-DNA adducts in the colon but not the liver than in rats fed a selenium-deficient diet. Rats supplemented with selenomethionine had greater (P < 0.05) plasma and liver selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activity than those supplemented with selenite or selenate; however, they also had more DMABP-DNA adducts. The protective effect of selenite and selenate against DMABP-DNA adduct formation apparently is not a result of alterations in plasma or liver selenium concentrations or altered glutathione peroxidase or glutathione transferase activities but may be related to differences in the metabolism of the different forms of selenium.