Visit our Expo - Redox and Inflammation signaling 2012

Session X : Cell death in cancer Poster X, 16
The effects of selenium diet on expression of selenoproteins in the respiratory tract of
the rat
Katarzyna Bukalis, , Dorothea Alber, Dietrich Behne, Antonios Kyriakopoulos
Hahn-Meitner-Institut, Department “Molecular Trace Element Research in the Life
Sciences”, Glienicker Str. 100, D-14109 Berlin, Germany, e-mail: k.bukalis@hmi.de)
The organs of the respiratory tract lung and trachea, are constantly exposed to many gases and
particular matter present in the atmosphere or toxins such as asbestos or tobacco smoke.
Many of these pollutants are powerful oxidants. Several lung and trachea diseases have been
associated with oxidative stress and linked to oxidant insults. In addition, long-term exposure
to environmental toxicants can induce mutation, or changes in the DNA of the exposed cells,
resulting in altered gene functions and in the further step lead to altered patterns of protein
production that might allow for growth of precancerous cells. The tissues of the respiratory
tract therefore require a specific defence system against oxidants and free radicals.
The trace element selenium plays an important role in this defence system. In the form of
selenocysteine it is an essential component of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme involved in
the detoxification of peroxides. Selenium has been also reported to have diverse anticancer
actions and to inhibit cancer growth in animals. In the patients with many cancers including
those of respiratory tract the low blood levels of selenium have been observed. This finding
indicate that low selenium levels can associated with increased cancer incidence in humans.
There is evident relationship between selenium deficiency, oxidative stress and lung and
trachea diseases. Therefore it is necessary to investigate the impact of the selenium status in
the diet on the incidence of the lung and trachea diseases. It is of grate interest to analyse the
selenium containing proteins to understand the role of the selenium and its compounds in the
protective mechanisms. In addition, there may be further selenoproteins which may likewise
be of significance in the antioxidant defence system of the respiratory tract.
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