Discovery of the strong antioxidant selenoneine in tuna and selenium redox metabolism
摘要
A novel selenium-containing compound,selenoneine,has been isolated as the major form of organic selenium in the blood and tissues of tuna.Selenoneine harbors a selenium atom in the imidazole ring,2-selenylNα,Nα,Nα-trimethyl-L-histidine,and is a selenium analog of ergothioneine.This selenium compound has strong antioxidant capacity and binds to heme proteins,such as hemoglobin and myoglobin,to protect them from iron auto-oxidation,and it reacts with radicals and methylmercury(MeHg) .The organic cations/carnitine transporter OCTN1 transports selenoneine and MeHg,regulates Se-enhanced antioxidant activity,and decreases MeHg toxicity.Thus,the dietary intake of selenoneine,by consuming fish,might decrease the formation of reactive oxygen radicals that could oxidize nucleotides in DNA,and thereby inhibit carcinogenesis,chronic diseases,and aging.