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Research Questions
What are the effects of ozone on glutathione concentrations in rat alveolar type II cells? What are the effects of selenium on glutathione concentrations in rat alveolar type II cells? Can selenium help maintain glutathione concentrations in cells exposed to ozone and thus remediate the deleterious effects of ozone?

Background
Life would not exist without selenium. Selenium is a micronutrient that is directly involved with selenoenzyme activity and the production of glutathione, an important antioxidant (Dolezych and Szulinska, 2003). Since glutathione protects against free radical damage, decreased levels of glutathione may lead to increased oxidative damage.

Ozone, on the other hand, is a strong oxidizer and is responsible for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is a major component of air pollution and is thought to be related to increased incidences of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

A recent study found that joint administration of ozone and selenium to 6-month-old-mice increased lung GSH concentraitons (Dolezych and Szulinska, 2003). My research focuses more specifically on the effects of selenium on cell viability and glutathione concentration in rat alveolar type II cells exposed to ozone.

Methods/Procedures

Results

Discussion

References

Dolezych, Bogdan and Elzbieta Szulinka. Selenium modifies glutathione peroxidase activity and glutathione concentration in mice exposed to ozone-provoked oxidative stress. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 17.2 (2003): 133-137.