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Review
. 2023 Jan 30;24(3):2633.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24032633.

Biological Activity of Selenium and Its Impact on Human Health

Giuseppe Genchi  1 , Graziantonio Lauria  1 , Alessia Catalano  2 , Maria Stefania Sinicropi  1 , Alessia Carocci  2
Affiliations
Review

Biological Activity of Selenium and Its Impact on Human Health

Giuseppe Genchi et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring metalloid element essential to human and animal health in trace amounts but it is harmful in excess. Se plays a substantial role in the functioning of the human organism. It is incorporated into selenoproteins, thus supporting antioxidant defense systems. Selenoproteins participate in the metabolism of thyroid hormones, control reproductive functions and exert neuroprotective effects. Among the elements, Se has one of the narrowest ranges between dietary deficiency and toxic levels. Its level of toxicity may depend on chemical form, as inorganic and organic species have distinct biological properties. Over the last decades, optimization of population Se intake for the prevention of diseases related to Se deficiency or excess has been recognized as a pressing issue in modern healthcare worldwide. Low selenium status has been associated with an increased risk of mortality, poor immune function, cognitive decline, and thyroid dysfunction. On the other hand, Se concentrations slightly above its nutritional levels have been shown to have adverse effects on a broad spectrum of neurological functions and to increase the risk of type-2 diabetes. Comprehension of the selenium biochemical pathways under normal physiological conditions is therefore an important issue to elucidate its effect on human diseases. This review gives an overview of the role of Se in human health highlighting the effects of its deficiency and excess in the body. The biological activity of Se, mainly performed through selenoproteins, and its epigenetic effect is discussed. Moreover, a brief overview of selenium phytoremediation and rhizofiltration approaches is reported.

Keywords: epigenetics; human diseases; phytoremediation; rhizofiltration; selenium; selenium deficiency; selenoproteins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selenoprotein biosynthesis pathway. SerRS catalyzes the reaction between tRNASerSec and Ser in the presence of ATP to yield Ser-tRNASerSec, which in turn is phosphorylated in the presence of ATP and PSTK to give O-phosphoseryl- tRNASerSec. Thus, O-phosphoseryl- tRNASerSec is replaced by Se in the presence of selenophosphate and SepSerS to synthesize Sec-tRNASerSec. Sec-tRNASerSec is transferred to the ribosome thanks to SECIS and SBP2. Finally, the UGA codon is recognized as the Sec integration codon into the amino acid sequence of selenoprotein. Abbreviations: SeC = Selenocysteine; SerRS = Seryl-tRNA synthetase; mRNA = messenger RNA; rRNA = ribosomal RNA; PSTK = O-phosphoseryl tRNA kinase; SPS2 = selenophosphate synthetase 2; SepSerS = O-phosphoseryl tRNA: selenocysteinyl tRNA synthase; SECIS = SeC Insertion Sequence; SBP2 = SECIS Binding Protein 2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Deiodinases and metabolism of thyroid hormones. DIO2 deiodinase converts T4 into T3. DIO3 deiodinase mediates inner-ring deiodination of T4 or T3 to form the inactive metabolites rT3 and T2, respectively. Abbreviations. T4: thyroxine or 3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodotyronine; T3: 3,3′,5-triiodotyronine; rT3: reverse-3,3′,5′-triiodotyronine; T2: 3,3′-diiodotyronine.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Reactions and functions of TrxR. (A) NADPH + H+ catalyzed in the presence of TrxR the reaction of Trx (Ox) into Trx(Red) to reduce ascorbate (Ox) into ascorbate (Red). (B) Reduced Trx supplies reducing equivalents to break down H2O2 to H2O in the presence of Trx peroxidase (a); reduced Trx in the presence of ribonucleotides reductase reduces ribonucleotides to deoxiribonucleotides for DNA synthesis (b); Trx (Red) provides reducing equivalent for transcription factors resulting in their increased binding to DNA leading to altered gene transcription (c); reduced Trx increase cell growth (d). Abbreviations: NADP+: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate; NADPH: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (reduced form); Trx: thioredoxin; Trx (Ox): thioredoxin oxidized; Trx (Red): thioredoxin reduced; TrxR: thioredoxin reductase.
Figure 4
Figure 4
One-carbon metabolism cycle: DNA methylation and Se metabolism. Abbreviations: MAT: Methionine Adenosyl Transferase; MS: Methionine Synthase; MT: Methyl transferase; DNMT: DNA Methyl Transferase; HY: Hydrolase; MTHFR: Methylene Tetra Hydro Folate Reductase; PP: Pyrophosphate; P: phosphate.
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