ABSTRACT
A stably transfected HEK293 cell line harboring a selenium-dependent reporter construct is used for the screening of a set of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. From a total of 1953 drugs approved by the US FDA, 16 plates with 1280 drugs were each tested, including controls, for calculating the UGA read-through factors as an indicator of interference with regular selenoprotein translation. Little is known about interfering effects of drugs on selenium metabolism and selenoprotein expression. Certain examples have been identified, e.g. statins affecting tRNA-selenocysteine maturation and aminoglycosides altering selenoprotein P expression in HepG2 cells, causing a replacement of selenocyseine by other amino acids. A number of selenium-relevant drugs and drug combinations can be identified by this high-throughput screen that needs to be evaluated for health-relevant effects in seniors, to avoid unexpected severe side effects and ameliorating multi-morbidity.
