Effects of selenium on cell proliferation in rat liver and mammalian cells as indicated by cytokinetic and biochemical analysis.

Studies were conducted in vivo with regenerating liver and in vitro with mammalian cells to determine the effects of selenium on cell proliferation and the stages of the cell cycle affected by selenium. Six ppm selenium as Na2SeO3 fed to weanling male F344 rats for 6 wk significantly reduced the percentage of 3H-labeled hepatocyte nuclei by one-half compared to 0.1 ppm selenium when [methyl-3H]thymidine was injected at 23 h post-two-thirds hepatectomy. Sampling was done at 30 h post-hepatectomy. A trend towards decreased 3H per DNA per labeled cell was also observed, suggesting that selenium decreased the rate of DNA synthesis as well as delaying the entry of cells into S phase (i.e., increasing the duration of G0-G1). Studies in vitro with H-4 "minimal deviation" hepatomas and 3T3 mouse fibroblasts demonstrated that selenium decreased the growth of these cells in a dose-dependent manner, and this inhibition was reversible upon removal of selenium from the growth medium. Cytokinetic analysis using fluorescence flow cytometry and microscopic techniques indicated that selenium treatment increased the duration of G1, S, and G2 phases of the cell cycle, while having no effect on mitosis under the conditions of our experiments. Biochemical analyses of H-4 cells demonstrated that selenium treatment caused a significant dose-dependent increase in oxidized and reduced glutathione (GSSG and GSH) as well as in the GSSG:GSH ratio as was previously observed in liver in vivo. In addition, glutathione reductase activity as well as the oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate:reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate ratio was significantly increased with selenium treatment. These results indicate that selenium affects all "synthetic" stages of the cell cycle, and elevated GSSG or the GSSG:GSH ratio may explain the antiproliferative effects of selenium on cells.