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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

selenium, nuclear factor-kB, androgen receptor expression, prostate cancer

College

Life Sciences

Department

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science

Abstract

According to the American Cancer Society prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer, as well as the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. The trace mineral and essential nutrient selenium has been established as a promising chemopreventive element for prostate cancer. Plant foods are the best source of selenium; however, the selenium content of plants varies significantly based on the soil in which it was grown in. This study attempted to provide further insight into the molecular mechanism by which selenium effects cancer development. Specifically we looked at the expression of the Nuclear Factor-kB (NF-kB) and the Androgen Receptor (AR), both of which are transcriptions factors that have a significant impact on the development of prostate cancer. Originally we had planned to use prostate tissue from previously sacrificed Noble rats as our test specimens. However, time and resource constraints instead required us to use cultured prostate cancer cells (LNCaP and 22Rv1) as our specimens.

Included in

Nutrition Commons

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