The authors were asked by the Editors of ACS Chemical Biology to write an article titled
“Why Nature Chose Selenium” for the occasion of the upcoming bicentennial of the …

The biological activity of selenium is dependent upon its speciation. We aim to integrate
selenium speciation and metabolism into a discussion of the mechanisms by which …

The element selenium was discovered in 1818 by the Swedish chemist Berzelius and was
named after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene. 1 In biology, selenium was long …

Covering: 1934 to early 2002. The biochemistry of selenium-containing natural products,
including selenoproteins, is reviewed up to May 2002. Particular emphasis is placed on the …

Previous research suggested that the β-lyase-mediated production of a monomethylated
selenium metabolite from Se-methylselenocysteine is a key step in cancer chemoprevention …

There are several manners in which selenium may express its toxicity:(1) an important
mechanism appears to involve the formation of CH3Se− which either enters a redox cycle …

Epidemiological studies, preclinical investigations and clinical intervention trials support the
role of selenium compounds as potent cancer chemopreventive agents; the dose and the …

Selenium is an essential trace element. It is, however toxic at concentration little above
which is required for health. Selenium is incorporated into proteins as selenocysteine, the …

Because sulfur and selenium antioxidants can prevent oxidative damage, numerous animal
and clinical trials have investigated the ability of these compounds to prevent the oxidative …

Background It has become increasingly evident that dietary Se plays a significant role in
reducing the incidence of lung, colorectal and prostate cancer in humans. Different forms of …