Long-Term Excessive Selenium Supplementation Affects Gene Expression in Esophageal Tissue of Rats.

Esophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death and the seventh most prevalent cancer worldwide. Considering the positive association of high selenium with the prevalence of esophageal cancer, we have investigated the effect of high doses of selenium on gene expression in the normal esophageal tissue of rats. Twenty male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, group 2 mg Se/L, 10 mg Se/L, and 20 mg Se/L rats fed with a basal basic diet and 2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L as sodium selenite in drinking water, respectively, for 20 weeks. Serum malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase activity were measured. Moreover, the expression and concentration of the cyclin D1, cyclin E, KRAS, p53, NF-kB, TGF-ß, and MGMT in the esophageal tissue were analyzed and compared between the four groups. In normal esophageal tissue, selenium supplementations (2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L) increased the mRNA levels of cyclin D1, P53, KRAS, NF-κB p65, and MGMT and decreased the mRNA level of TGFß1. The concentrations of cyclin D1 and MGMT were also significantly increased by selenium supplementations. Selenium supplementations had no significant effect on serum MDA but significantly increased GPX activity. The present study suggests that selenium supplementation (2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L) affects gene expression related to inflammation, Cell proliferation, and apoptosis in the normal esophageal tissue. However, there were no observed abnormalities other than reduced growth with supplementation of 20 mg/L as Na2SeO3 in rats.

Decreased Serum Selenium Levels of COVID-19 Patients in Comparison with Healthy Individuals.

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic and is the cause of increased mortality, especially among elderly patients and those who have severe complications, such as chronic pulmonary obstruction, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Nutrition, especially micronutrients, plays an important role in reducing mortality and complications from COVID-19 because micronutrients strengthen our immune system and nutritional status is an important factor that affects the outcome of patients with COVID-19. Among micronutrients, selenium has an important effect on both intrinsic and acquired immunity. Host selenium deficiency affects the viral genome and increases the virulence of viruses. We have investigated the serum selenium levels in COVID-19 patients and healthy control individuals. METHODS: A total of 50 patients with COVID-19 infection were included in this study. During hospitalization, 13 patients died (non-survivor group) and 37 patients recovered (survivor group). We assessed the serum selenium levels in 50 COVID-19 patients and 50 healthy individuals by Agilent SpectrAA-240 Z atomic absorption spectrometer. RESULTS: The serum selenium level was significantly lower in COVID-19 patients (77. 8 ± 13.9 µg/L) as compared to healthy control individuals (91.7 ± 16.7 µg/L), but there was no significant difference between the survivor and non-survivor groups. Also, there was no significant relationship between serum selenium levels and laboratory findings of COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that decreased serum selenium levels may be a risk factor for the COVID-19 infection, but there was no significant relationship between selenium and severity and mortality of COVID-19 disease.