[Mechanism of the anticancer action of selenium--influence on glycolysis and its key enzyme]

The aerobic glycolysis rate and mitochondria-bound hexokinase activity of ascitic liver cancer cells are 8 and 50 times as high as those of the normal liver cells, and they can be inhibited by Na2SeO3 in concentration below 10 micrograms/ml. The inhibitory effect increases with selenium concentration. In contrast, Na2SeO3 at the same concentration does not significantly affect the glycolysis rate and mitochondria-bound hexokinase activity of the normal liver cells. The selective action of selenium on energy metabolism of the liver cancer cells may account for its inhibitory effect on cancer cells.