Low serum selenium concentration in patients with cervical cancer

Abstract

Selenium (Se), vitamin E and sulfur amino acids have long been considered to serve as antioxidants that complement one another. So is an essential component of intracellular and extracellular glutathione peroxidases 1. Vitamin E is a membraneassociated molecule that scavenges free radicals, preventing damage to membrane lipids 1. In addition to enzymatic antioxidative action, Se is included in other anticancerogenic mechanisms, among which activationinactivation of cell growth factor is the most important 2. In many publications low plasma Se concentrations correlated directly with an increased incidence of different carcinomas 34.