Green Synthesis of Robust Selenium Nanoparticles via Polysaccharide–Polyphenol Interaction: Design Principles and Structure–Bioactivity Relationship

Abstract

Selenium is an essential micronutrient and is well known for its role in regulating metabolism. However, it is also highly toxic in some of its forms and above certain concentration levels. Amorphous selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are extremely unstable and convert into non-bioactive or gray elemental selenium with crystal-type structures due to aggregation, which limits its antioxidant and anti-tumor activities. To overcome these limitations, monodisperse SeNPs were obtained by stabilizing SeNPs with glucan and rosmarinic acid (RA) via Se–O bonds and polysaccharide–polyphenol interactions. The prepared glucan-RA-SeNPs were found much more stable than both SeNPs and glucan-stabilized SeNPs. Meanwhile, glucan-RA-SeNPs displayed enhanced bioactivities including an improved free radical scavenging ability and an increased cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. The underlying mechanism might be related to caspase activation by glucan-RA-SeNPs, thus overproducing intracellular reactive oxygen species and eventually resulting in cancer cell apoptosis. Our work proposes a feasible strategy for improving the structure–bioactivity of SeNPs through polysaccharide–polyphenol interaction.

Lentinan-functionalized selenium nanoparticles induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human colon carcinoma HCT-116 cells

“…These results suggested the amorphous nature of LNT-SeNPs. Consistent with our results, recent studies reported that the amorphous structure of SeNPs stabilized by glucan or chitosan was observed in the XRD patterns ( 13 , 23 ). The valence state of Se in LNT-SeNPs was analyzed by XPS.…”

“…Therefore, massive efforts have been taken to stabilize SeNPs through the introduction of templates, which can interact with SeNPs and suppress their aggregation. Besides, using bioactive templates will be helpful for regulating or enhancing the bioactivities of SeNPs ( 13 ).…”

Triple Cross‐linked Dynamic Responsive Hydrogel Loaded with Selenium Nanoparticles for Modulating the Inflammatory Microenvironment via PI3K/Akt/NF‐κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways

“…The results were similar to those reported. [ 48,49 ] The above results indicated that SeNPs were successfully prepared.…”

Selenium Nanoparticles Based on Morinda officinalis Polysaccharides: Characterization, Anti-Cancer Activities, and Immune-Enhancing Activities Evaluation In Vitro

“…Previous studies have shown that different methods can induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells. It has been reported that selenium–sorafenib complexes can effectively activate the Ca 2+ signaling system and cause endoplasmic reticulum stress [ 40 ], while glucan-selenium nanoparticles (Glucan-SeNPs) can activate Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 [ 41 ]. This experiment provides a basis for exploring the specific mechanism of apoptosis in the future.…”