Selenium and Breast Cancer Growth

It is our hypothesis that human selenium binding protein hSP56 plays important and yet unrecognized roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, andor apoptosis, or other processes in normal and malignant mammary cells in response to environmental changes and selenium availability. The aim of our study is to determine if hSP56 can mediate selenium growth inhibition of human breast cancer cells. This will broaden our understanding of the role of hSP56 in cancer development and progression with regard to the potent anti-cancer action of selenium compounds. Identification of hSP56 as a mediator of selenium growth-inhibitory action in human breast cancer cells will contribute to the elucidation of the mechanisms of selenium chemopreventive action in general and could lead to the development of selenium-containing small molecules as preventive or therapeutic drugs.