Methyl selenocysteine: single-dose pharmacokinetics in men

Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Nov;4(11):1938-44. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-10-0259. Epub 2011 Aug 16.

Abstract

The recently published report of the SELECT evaluation of selenium and vitamin E provided strong evidence that selenium 200 μg per day in the form of selenomethionine does not protect selenium-replete men against prostate or any other cancer. This seems to refute the result of the much smaller Nutritional Prevention of Cancer (NPC) trial of selenium. Because SELECT did not test the NPC agent, it is possible that the difference between the two trials stems partly from the use of different agents: selenomethionine in SELECT, and selenized yeast in the NPC trial. One of the organic selenium forms suspected of having strong chemopreventive effects, and which may have been present in the NPC agent, is methyl selenocysteine. This study characterizes the single-dose pharmacokinetics of methyl selenocysteine.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase I
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cysteine / administration & dosage
  • Cysteine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Cysteine / pharmacokinetics
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Maximum Tolerated Dose
  • Organoselenium Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Organoselenium Compounds / pharmacokinetics*
  • Selenocysteine / analogs & derivatives
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Organoselenium Compounds
  • Selenocysteine
  • Cysteine
  • selenomethylselenocysteine