Selenium supplementation sensitizes renca cells to tert-butylhydroperoxide induced loss of viability

Mouse renal carcinoma (renca) cells growing exponentially in foetal bovine serum (1%) supplemented with selenium (1 microM, sodium selenite) were exposed to oxidative insult. It was found that glutathione peroxidase activity increased (44%), while the activities of catalase, glutathione disulfide reductase, and level of total glutathione did not change due to selenium supplementation. Selenium supplementation made renca cells susceptible to tert-butylhydroperoxide induced cell death, while it did not affect the viability when the cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide. It suggested that the contribution of glutathione peroxidase in antioxidant defense mechanism of renca cells was possibly not crucial and the function of catalase might be important especially against hydrogen peroxide.