Selenium-Based Drug Development for Antioxidant and Anticancer Activity

Abstract

Selenium is one of the eight necessary trace elements humans require for active health balance. It contributes in several ways to the proper functioning of selenoprotein. Selenium has received enormous interest recently due to its therapeutic potential against a number of ailments. To date, numerous chemical compounds containing selenium have been investigated for the therapy of cancer and other disorders. Unifying the selenium atom into chemical components (typically organic) greatly increased their bioactivities. We foresee that the structure–property relationship of recently developed materials could significantly decrease the laborious work of background research to achieve target-oriented drug design in coming years. This review summarizes the research progress in the last 10 to 15 years and the application of selenium-containing compounds in the design and synthesis of those materials for potential antioxidant and anticancer agents.

Antioxidant Metabolism Pathways in Vitamins, Polyphenols, and Selenium: Parallels and Divergences

“…Several human studies have demonstrated that supplementing standard-of-care chemotherapies (such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and busulfan) with Se (in the form of sodium selenite or organic selenium) reduces toxicity without compromising therapeutic efficacy [ 310 ]. Se-containing molecules have been investigated in various contexts: (i) tumor development and dissemination, (ii) drug delivery; (iii) multidrug resistance (MDR); and (iv) immune system modulation [ 312 , 313 ].…”

Photodynamic Therapy: From the Basics to the Current Progress of N-Heterocyclic-Bearing Dyes as Effective Photosensitizers

“…A further attractive approach is the dimerization of these dyes, building molecules with two covalently linked cyanine nuclei, these chains serving as bridges between units [ 258 ]. The targeting of these compounds can also be enhanced, for example, by introducing specific antibodies to these chains [ 259 ]; Halogenation and the so-called “heavy atom effect”: The introduction of halogens and other heavy atoms, such as selenium [ 260 , 261 ], contributes above all to more efficient anticancer activity and, by increasing the lifetime of these dyes in the triplet state, to the improvement of their singlet oxygen production. The presence of iodine atoms is highlighted as the form of halogenation that most actively increases therapeutic activity [ 249 , 254 , 262 ].…”

“…Halogenation and the so-called “heavy atom effect”: The introduction of halogens and other heavy atoms, such as selenium [ 260 , 261 ], contributes above all to more efficient anticancer activity and, by increasing the lifetime of these dyes in the triplet state, to the improvement of their singlet oxygen production. The presence of iodine atoms is highlighted as the form of halogenation that most actively increases therapeutic activity [ 249 , 254 , 262 ].…”

Ebselen analogues with dual human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitory and antiradical activity

“… 11 Specifically, selenium-containing compounds are of significant interest because of their antiradical/antioxidant activity, as oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of a number of human diseases. 12 Notably, ebselen (2-phenyl-1,2-benzoselenazol-3(2 H )-one) ( Fig. 2 ), one of the first selenium-containing compounds synthesized, 13 exhibits potent antioxidant activity and is currently under clinical investigation for treatment of a number of disorders.…”