The Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidative Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Critical Post-surgical Pediatric Patients

Oxidative stress after major surgeries is associated with poor clinical outcomes, such as delayed wound healing and increased length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit. Due to the growth and development phase in childhood, changes in the levels of oxidative stress and inflammation are of paramount importance in pediatric patients. Acute metabolic stress is correlated with the rate of oxidative stress and is believed to increase after major surgeries in pediatric patients. Therefore, it has been suggested that the presence of selenium in various selenoenzymes and selenoproteins may be largely involved in the antioxidative defense system in surgical inflammation through the regulation of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, insulin transport pathways, gene expression of inflammatory mediators, and other functions of lymphocytes B and T, natural killer, and lymphokine activated killer cells. In acute metabolic stress, selenium requirement following major surgeries is considered essential in pediatric patients, and selenium supplementation in these patients may be helpful and cost-effective in the long run. Further clinical studies are required to clarify the potential beneficial effects of selenium supplementation, as well as its dose safety and efficacy rate.