Positive Health Online

Abstract

EKOUE and COLLEAGUES, 1. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  dekoue2@uic.edu ; 2. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  szaichik@yahoo.com ; 3. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  klaravn@uic.edu ; 4. USDA-ARS, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND, USA. Matthew.Picklo@ars.usda.gov ; 5. USDA-ARS, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND, USA.  Craig.Lacher@ars.usda.gov ; 6. Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  khoski@uic.edu ; 7. Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. warso@uic.edu ; 8. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  mbonini@uic.edu ; 9. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.  adiamond@uic.edu obtained samples of tumour tissue from women with breast cancer and analyzed for selenium concentration, the levels of several selenium-containing proteins.

Background

Selenium supplementation of the diets of rodents has consistently been shown to suppress mammary carcinogenesis and some, albeit not all, human epidemiological studies have indicated an inverse association between selenium and breast cancer risk.

Methodology

In order to better understand the role selenium plays in breast cancer, 30 samples of tumour tissue were obtained from women with breast cancer and analyzed for selenium concentration, the levels of several selenium-containing proteins and the levels of the MnSOD anti-oxidant protein. Polymorphisms within the genes for these same proteins were determined from DNA isolated from the tissue samples.

Results

There was a wide range of selenium in these tissues, ranging from 24 to 854ng/gm. The selenium levels in the tissues were correlated to the genotype of the SELENOP selenium carrier protein, but not to other proteins whose levels have been reported to be responsive to selenium availability, including GPX1, SELENOF and SBP1. There was an association between a polymorphism in the gene for MnSOD and the levels of the encoded protein.

Conclusion

These studies were the first to examine the relationship between selenium levels, genotypes and protein levels in human tissues. Furthermore, the obtained data provide evidence for the need to obtain data about the effects of selenium in breast cancer by examining samples from that particular tissue type.

References

Ekoue DN1, Zaichick S2, Valyi-Nagy K3, Picklo M4, Lacher C5, Hoskins K6, Warso MA7, Bonini MG8, Diamond AM9. Selenium levels in human breast carcinoma tissue are associated with a common polymorphism in the gene for SELENOP (Selenoprotein P). J Trace Elem Med Biol ;39:227-233. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2016.11.003. Epub Nov 2016  11. Jan 2017.