Selenium Supplementation in Children and Adolescents Undergoing Cancer Treatment: An Analysis of the Inflammatory Profile and the Expression of Antioxidant Regulators.
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INTRODUCTION: Children with tumors experience multiple metabolic alterations, including increased lipid oxidation of free fatty acids, inhibition of lipoprotein lipase, and elevated production of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6), which may contribute to cachexia. The micronutrient selenium, with its antioxidant action, seems to play an important role in controlling metabolic changes. AIMS: Thus, we aimed to evaluate the impact of selenium supplementation in children with leukemia and solid tumors through the analysis of inflammatory markers and expression of antioxidant regulatory genes using real-time PCR. METHODS: This work recruited patients supplemented with selenium aged 3 to 19 years with leukemias and lymphomas or solid tumors from the Pediatric Oncology Service at FMABC. The inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF-α, RBP4, and Tbars were detected through serum evaluations, and the antioxidant regulatory genes, including Thioredoxin, Glutathione Peroxidase, Nuclear transcription factor kappa β, and Selenoprotein P, were analyzed in whole blood samples by real-time PCR. RESULTS: This study evaluated 26 pediatric oncology patients. No significant differences were observed in Tbars or IL6 concentrations between groups. However, selenium supplementation significantly reduced the expression of SEPP1 (p =0.030), NFKB (p =0.003), and TRX (p =0.007) genes compared to baseline, suggesting a potential modulatory effect of selenium on inflammatory gene expression. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that selenium supplementation may help modulate inflammatory responses in pediatric oncology patients. While no significant differences were found in Tbars or IL-6, selenium significantly reduced the expression of SEPP1, NFKB, and TRX genes. These results indicate a potential role of selenium in controlling inflammatory gene pathways.