Role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and JNKs in selenite-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells

Dietary selenium (Se) supplementation has been shown to be effective against reducing the risk of incidence of different human cancers.¹ Selenium exists in both organic and inorganic forms. Different chemical forms of selenium metabolize differently in vivo, activate distinct molecular mechanisms and exhibit varying degree of anti-carcinogenicity in different cancer types.^2-4 The effectiveness of a Se compound could also vary depending on the genetic background of the tumor cells.⁴ Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanism(s) by which different Se compounds exert their anti-tumorigenic effects is necessary for their use in cancer chemoprevention.