Selenium and glutathione peroxidase status in adult Egyptian patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

This study was undertaken to evaluate selenium (Se) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) status in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before and after induction therapy. Twenty-five patients with newly diagnosed AML and 15 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects were included in this study. Serum Se level by the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric technique and GPX activity by an adaptation of Beutler method was performed for the patients before and after receiving the induction therapy. Serum Se level was significantly lower in patients with AML versus control subjects (63.1 ± 8.8 versus 77 ± 8.8 µg/L before therapy with a P value <0.01 and 69 ± 6.8 versus 77 ± 8.8 µg/L after therapy with a P value <0.01).GPX activity was significantly lower in patients with AML versus control subjects (1.6 ± 0.4 versus 3.4 ± 0.7 µ/g protein pretreatment with a P value <0.01 and 1.9 ± 0.6 versus 3.4 ± 0.7 µ/g protein post induction treatment with P value <0.01).Se level and GPX activity significantly increased in AML patients after treatment. Patients who accomplished complete remission after induction harbored significantly higher Se levels than resistant patients before and after treatment. There was no significant correlation between serum Se level and GPX activity. Decreased Se level and reduced GPX activity in AML patients support the association of carcinogenesis and subnormal Se states.

High-dose sodium selenite can induce apoptosis of lymphoma cells in adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The present study was undertaken to explore the effect of administration of high doses of sodium selenite on the apoptosis of lymphoma cells in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Forty patients with newly diagnosed NHL were randomly divided into two groups. Group I received standard chemotherapy, whereas group II received adjuvant sodium selenite 0.2 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for 7 days in addition to chemotherapy. Flow cytometry was used for monitoring of lymphoma cells apoptosis at the time of diagnosis and after therapy in the two groups. Sodium selenite administration resulted in significant increase in percentage of apoptotic lymphoma cells after therapy in group II (78.9 +/- 13.3% versus 58.9 +/- 18.9%, p < 0.05). In addition, patients who received sodium selenite treatment demonstrated statistically significant increase in percentage of reduction of cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy, decrease in splenic size, and decreased percentage of bone marrow infiltration. Also, we found a statistically significant decrease in cardiac ejection fraction (CEF) in group I and no reduction in CEF in patients who received sodium selenite 'group II', denoting the cardioprotective effect of selenium. It is concluded that sodium selenite administration at the dosage and duration chosen has synergistic effect to chemotherapy in inducing apoptosis and, consequently, could improve clinical outcome.