On the other hand, co-treatment of PDT and selenium extended the inhibition time of tumor cell growth. Co-treatment of PDT and selenium showed serious morphological changes in TC-1 cells and induced a more apoptotic population by FACS

Selenium, an essential trace element possessing anticarcinogenic properties, can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Our goal was to investigate the enhanced antitumor effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) plus selenium in TC-1 tumor cells and implanted mice. Cell viability was evaluated at various time intervals after PDT treatment and/or selenium by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. When only PDT treatment was administered to TC-1 tumor cells, TC-1 cell growth recovered over time. On the other hand, co-treatment of PDT and selenium extended the inhibition time of tumor cell growth. Co-treatment of PDT and selenium showed serious morphological changes in TC-1 cells and induced a more apoptotic population by FACS analysis. By signal transduction pathway SuperArray analysis, genes closely involved in the NFκB, p53 and phopholipase C pathways, such as VCAM1, MDM2 and FOS, were significantly downregulated at least 10-fold in TC-1 cells following PDT and selenium cotreatment. In an in vivo study, tumor-bearing mice were intravenously injected with Radachlorin 3 h before irradiation with 300 J/cm2 of light. Selenium was administered daily for 20 days. Combination therapy against the mouse tumors generated by TC-1 cells was more effective than PDT or selenium alone. These data suggest that selenium plus PDT can induce a significant tumor suppression response compared with PDT alone. Additionally, it can be an effective anticancer therapy strategy.