Strategies for the development of selenium-based anticancer drugs

Many experimental models demonstrated that inorganic and organic selenium (Se) compounds may have an anticancer activity. However, large clinical studies failed to demonstrate that Se supplementations may prevent the outcome of cancers. Moreover, there are few randomized trials in cancer patients and there is not yet any Se compound recognized as anticancer drug. There is still a need to develop new Se compounds with new strategies. For that, it may be necessary to consider that Se compounds may have a dual role, either as anti-oxidant or as pro-oxidant. Experimental studies demonstrated that it is as pro-oxidant that Se compounds have anticancer effects, even though cancer cells have a pro-oxidant status. The oxidative status differs according to the type of cancer, the stage of the disease and to other parameters. We propose to adapt the doses of the Se compounds to markers of the oxidative stress, but also to markers of angiogenesis, which is strongly related with the oxidative status. A dual role of Se on angiogenesis has also been noted, either as pro-angiogenesis or as anti-angiogenesis. The objective for the development of new Se compounds, having a great selectivity on cancer cells, could be to try to normalize these oxidative and angiogenic markers in cancer patients, with an individual adaptation of doses.