Figure 3.

Topical selenium increases selenium levels in neonatal mouse skin after a single dose and delays formation of UV-induced melanomas. (a) Application of topical SeMet 24 h after birth increases total selenium in the skin of neonatal mice (p = 0.024 for normal diet vs. topical SeMet, n = 3 for each treatment). Supplementing the diet of the mother decreases selenium in the skin of the offspring to undetectable levels (High Se diet). (b) SeMet applied 24 h before UV irradiation (4000 J/m²) [24] then twice weekly after weaning significantly increases the time for tumor formation in 50% of animals (10 weeks vs. 8 weeks, p = 0.036), n = 31 for control, n = 40 for SeMet.