Abstract
Selenium and mercuric chloride (MC) interactions regarding effects on cell growth and cell death have been studied. Human K-562 cells were pretreated or simultaneously treated with either selenite (5 or 50 µM) or selenomethionine (10 or 50 µM) and with MC (35 or 50 µM). The 35-µM MC treatments resulted in a clear inhibition of cell growth with no obvious difference between mercury-treated and mercury-selenium-treated cells. Furthermore, the apoptotic frequency was similar at all observations for all selenium treatments with 35 µM MC. In the simultaneously treated selenite and 50-µM MC combinations, a selenite-dependent protection was shown both by increased cell growth and by lower apoptotic frequency at 48 and 96 h of exposure. Both treatments with selenomethionine showed protection observed as an increased cell growth at 48 and 96 h and as decreased apoptotic frequency at 96 h of exposure.
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Frisk, P., Wester, K., Yaqob, A. et al. Selenium protection against mercury-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition in cultured K-562 cells. Biol Trace Elem Res 92, 105–113 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:92:2:105
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:92:2:105