Impact of Selenium on Biomarkers and Clinical Aspects Related to Ageing. A Review
Open accessAbstract
Selenium (Se) is an essential dietary trace element that plays an important role in the prevention of inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, infections, and cancer. Selenoproteins contain selenocysteine in the active center and include, i.a., the enzymes thioredoxin reductases (TXNRD1–3), glutathione peroxidases (GPX1–4 and GPX6) and methionine sulfoxide reductase, involved in immune functions, metabolic homeostasis, and antioxidant defense. Ageing is an inevitable process, which, i.a., involves an imbalance between antioxidative defense and reactive oxygen species (ROS), changes in protein and mitochondrial renewal, telomere attrition, cellular senescence, epigenetic alterations, and stem cell exhaustion. These conditions are associated with mild to moderate inflammation, which always accompanies the process of ageing and age-related diseases. In older individuals, Se, by being a component in protective enzymes, operates by decreasing ROS-mediated inflammation, removing misfolded proteins, decreasing DNA damage, and promoting telomere length. Se-dependent GPX1–4 and TXNRD1–3 directly suppress oxidative stress. Selenoprotein H in the cell nucleus protects DNA, and selenoproteins residing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) assist in the removal of misfolded proteins and protection against ER stress. In this review, we highlight the role of adequate Se status for human ageing and prevention of age-related diseases, and further its proposed role in preservation of telomere length in middle-aged and elderly individuals.
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In GPX enzymes, selenocysteine residues catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and peroxide radicals using glutathione, lowering free radicals and DNA damage.
“In the antioxidant enzymes GPXs, SeCys residues catalyse the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and peroxide radicals using glutathione as a substrate, thus lowering free radicals and consequent DNA damage [440,441].”
From The Role of Antioxidants in the Interplay between Oxidative Stress and Senescence (2022) · cites this paper as [440]
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References 123 · Cited by 69
- Authors
- Alehagen, U., Opstad, T. B., Alexander, J., Larsson, A., & Aaseth, J.
- Affiliations
- Linköping University (SE)
- Oslo University Hospital (NO)
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NO)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Innlandet Hospital Trust (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Alehagen, Urban
- Venue
- Biomolecules
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-10-07
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1478
- ISSN
- 2218-273X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8533247
- OpenAlex
- W3205571753
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 123
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 19
- FWCI
- 1.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Biomolecules (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Uppsala University Publications (Uppsala University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Sykehuset Innlandet HF
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Selenium in Biological Systems
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Organoselenium and organotellurium chemistry
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress
- Keywords
- selenium, aging, selenoproteins, glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, telomere length, cellular senescence, age-related diseases, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, DNA damage, antioxidant defense
- MeSH terms
- Aging, DNA Damage, Glutathione Peroxidase, Humans, Selenium, Biomarkers, Reactive Oxygen Species, Oxidative Stress, Selenoproteins, Thioredoxin Reductase 1
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