Abstract: Selenium (Se), known as an essential trace elements, is closely related to human health and diseases. This essential trace element exists in at least 25 selenoproteins in the form of selenocysteine residue, which performs a variety of biological functions. Among these selenoproteins, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is a well-known antioxidase, since it catalyzes the reduction of harmful peroxide by glutathione and protects cells against oxidative damage. Herein, some strategies and methods are presented to construct GPx mimics based on protein scaffolds. Through these studies, we expect to gain better understanding of the biological properties of selenoprotein, and even develop more effective approaches to create new selenoprotein mimics.
Author keywords: selenium (Se), selenocysteine, glutathione peroxidase (GPx)