Sizing up Selenium Lydia Harvengt and Jasmine Meyer

The Facts O You need selenium to live O But too much selenium, and you get selenosis O When you get selenosis, your breath will smell like garlic O When your breath smells like garlic, people may think you’re trying to scare away a vampire O When people think you are trying to scare away a vampire, they may peg you as a Twilight fan O Don’t be pegged as a Twilight fan O Watch your selenium intake!

What is selenium?

Natural Form O The most common form in selenium supplements

How much do you need? RDA 55mcg/day National Instututes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Selenium – Dietary Fact Sheet. (accessed March, 2, 2014). Food% DV Selenium Ham (3 oz)60% Macaroni (1 cup)53% Chicken (3 oz)31% Egg (1)21% Break (1 slice whole wheat)19% Upper limit (UL) 400mcg/ day.

Supplements O Selenium deficiency O Treating Crohn’s disease O Reducing the risk of some cancers O Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease O Reducing the risk of prostate cancer Of Americans take a supplement containing Selenium Men’s Multivitamins

Selenium is Converted to Selenoproteins in the Body O More than 25 selenoproteins are known O Selenoproteins are active in O Reproduction O Thyroid hormone metabolism O DNA synthesis O Protection from damage and infection O Few pathways are understood National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Selenium – Dietary Fact Sheet. (accessed March, 2, 2014).

Mechanism of Incorporation

Please use with CAUTION!

WARNING! O Individuals taking medicine for lowering cholesterol, niacin, sedative medications and warfarin should also exercise caution because of potential interference. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Toxicity Profile for Selenium. (accessed March 1, 2014),

Characterization O 1 H-NMR spectra O Absorption maxima by UV-VIS O Stretching vibrations from IR spectra O HPLC showing the separation of different forms of selenium

1 H-NMR spectra - Methyl Group - Singlet

1 H-NMR spectra

IR Spectra Frequency 3165 m 2922 vs 2831 w 1616 vs, br 1583 vs, br 1508 vs, br 1444 m 1406 vs, br 1360sh/13 46 s 1315 s 1275m/126 3m 1219 vs 1174 m 1150 s 1113s 1065m 1022w/86 2s 923m 903m 793s 760w 727s/698s 678w 638/594w 577m 538vs 420vs Key: vs: very strong; s: strong; m: medium; w:weak; vw: very weak; br:broad Parameters Bruker IFS 66 FTIR KBr Pellet Technique cm -1 CH3-Se COO- Nitrogen

Absorption Spectra (UV-Vis)

HPLC-ICP-MS (A) selenium Yeast Slurry and (B) Selenolife Yeast Tablet Prepared from the Yeast Slurry. (1) Selenomethionine Se- oxide (2) S-(methylseleno)cysteine, (3) Selenomethionine

So… where do I find selenium? O Jar of Dirt Video?

Natural Processing Soil Plants Animals Humans

Organic Form Production Methionine is transformed to the organic form of Selenium by replacing a sulfur atom with a selenium atom. When in the organic form, selenium is regularly absorbed by soil and easily digested. Christensen, K. Selenium – the Essential Trace Mineral. (Accessed on March 2, 2014).

Supplement Processing Cultured in Sodium Selenite When cultured, the inorganic forms only make up 1% of the product. The rest of the product can be made into supplements. Images From: additive/p/sm/ htm# Baran, E. J.; Zeitschrift für Naturforschung. B, A. Chem. Sci. 2005, 60,

Conclusion O Selenium is necessary O Selenium supplements (generally) are not necessary in America