Effects of selenium supplementation on PI3K/Akt/GLUT-4 insulin signaling pathway activation: a systematic review with meta-analysis of animal models of diabetes

Objective: We aimed to elucidate, through systematic review and meta-analysis, how exposure to selenium can influence the activation of the PI3K/Akt/GLUT-4 signaling pathway in animal models of diabetes. Methods: Search was performed in the PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, LILACS, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, without a time limit, with a focus on studies conducted in animal models of diabetes. Results: 13 articles were included in this review. The findings show that selenium supplementation resulted in increased expression of the GLUT-4 protein, as well as improved fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR in animal model, disregarding studies conducted on humans that show a diabetogenic effect of this mineral in many studies conducted. Similarly, this meta-analysis shows controversies results regarding modulation of the PI3K/Akt/GLUT-4 pathway and glucose metabolism in different animal models. Final considerations: The relationship between selenium and insulin signaling is complex and dependent on dose, compound, and tissue, is important to interpret these results carefully.