Selenium from Japanese anchovy extract and cell enzyme activity
What it found
In lab tests, selenium from a Japanese anchovy extract raised the activity of a selenium-dependent enzyme in rat nerve cells and human cancer cells by more than twice that of untreated cells.
The effect was similar to that of a common selenium supplement.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Enzyme activity in rat cells
Rat nerve cells incubated with selenium from the Niboshi extract had more than twice the GPx activity of cells with no selenium added. The effect was similar to that of selenious acid at the same selenium concentration and greater than that of seleno-L-methionine.
Enzyme activity in human cells
Human cervical cancer cells incubated with the Niboshi extract also showed an increase in GPx activity. At a higher selenium concentration, some cells detached, but at a lower concentration no detachment was seen.
Studies in people and animals
Comparison to previous mouse study
The lab results matched earlier findings in selenium-deficient mice, where the Niboshi extract restored GPx activity as well as selenious acid did.
Other findings
Selenium in extract
The Niboshi extract contained 0.1229 micrograms of selenium per gram of Niboshi, which was about 10% of the selenium in the whole Niboshi. The extract also contained minerals, amino acids and proteins.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that selenium from the Niboshi extract was absorbed by the cells and effectively used to make selenoproteins.
- They say that selenium from the Niboshi extract was used more efficiently than selenium from seleno-L-methionine and was comparable to selenious acid for improving cellular GPx activity.
- They suggest that the selenium species giving a peak at m/z 577 is one of the nutritionally effective compounds in the extract that increases GPx activity.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether selenium from Niboshi, a processed Japanese anchovy, can be used by the body to make selenoproteins. They previously found it was highly bioavailable in selenium-deficient mice.
They prepared an extract from Niboshi and tested it on rat dorsal root ganglion cells and human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells grown in the lab. The cells were incubated with the extract for 7 days (DRG cells) or 2 days (HeLa cells), and the activity of the selenium-dependent enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was measured.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests in cells, not studies in people. They cannot show what happens when a person eats Niboshi.
- The extract contains many substances besides selenium, so the observed effects might not come from selenium alone.
- The exact chemical structure of the main selenium compound in the extract was not identified.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Nagasaki University, Japan; Sojo University, Japan
The paper
- Title
- In vitro assessment of bioavailability of selenium from a processed Japanese anchovy, Niboshi
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Yoshida S, Iwataka M, Fuchigami T, Haratake M, Nakayama M (2018). In vitro assessment of bioavailability of selenium from a processed Japanese anchovy, Niboshi. Food chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.07.033Free full textPubMed 30100457DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error