selenium nanoparticles

Overview

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are nanoscale elemental selenium structures, typically ranging from a few to several hundred nanometers in diameter, that have emerged as a versatile platform in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and materials science research. Unlike bulk selenium or inorganic selenium salts, SeNPs offer substantially improved biocompatibility and a markedly reduced toxicity profile, making them attractive candidates for therapeutic delivery, antioxidant supplementation, and antimicrobial applications. Selenium is an essential trace element whose biological activity is primarily mediated through selenoproteins—enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX4) that regulate cellular redox homeostasis and protect against oxidative stress. At the nanoscale, selenium retains and can amplify these antioxidant properties while gaining new surface characteristics that facilitate functionalization, drug loading, and targeted delivery.

The synthesis of SeNPs is achievable through chemical reduction, biogenic (green) methods using plant extracts or microbial agents, and in situ fabrication within polymer matrices. Green synthesis routes, which employ phytochemical reducing and stabilizing agents, have gained particular traction due to their environmental compatibility and the additional bioactive coating they confer on the nanoparticle surface. Once synthesized, SeNPs can be further functionalized with polymers such as sodium alginate, chitosan, or albumin to modulate stability, surface charge, and targeting behavior. Their multifunctional nature—combining antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and drug-delivery capabilities—positions SeNPs at the intersection of several rapidly advancing fields in nanomedicine.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent literature demonstrates a marked expansion in the therapeutic contexts in which selenium nanoparticles are being investigated, spanning oncology, infectious disease, wound healing, dialysis membrane engineering, pulmonary disease, and sepsis management.

Anticancer Applications

A 2026 study published in Nanomedicine (London, England) (PMID: 42165412) explored the functionalization of SeNPs with sodium alginate (SA@Se NPs) to create a biocompatible nanocarrier for trans-resveratrol (TRV), a polyphenolic compound with established anticancer properties. The composite system was designed to enhance the stability of resveratrol, improve mitochondrial targeting, and augment anticancer efficacy against HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. This work reflects a broader strategy of combining SeNPs with bioactive molecules such as resveratrol and curcumin to achieve synergistic anticancer outcomes while exploiting the intrinsic antioxidant activity of selenium to modulate the tumor microenvironment through control of oxidative stress.

Pulmonary Inflammation and Fibrosis

A comparative study in Inflammopharmacology (PMID: 42159899) evaluated resveratrol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles against resveratrol-mediated green-synthesized SeNPs in a mouse model of silicosis. The research provided head-to-head evidence for the capacity of SeNP-resveratrol formulations to suppress pulmonary inflammation and fibrogenesis via redox-mediated modulation of inflammatory pathways, engaging signaling networks relevant to proinflammatory cytokines and interleukin-6. By leveraging selenium's antioxidant enzymatic cascades, the formulation addressed oxidative stress as a central driver of silicosis pathology.

Hemodialysis Membranes

A materials-focused study in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B (PMID: 42093444) demonstrated in situ engineering of SeNPs within polylactic acid (PLA)/PEG mixed-matrix membranes using ascorbic acid (L-ascorbate) as a reducing agent. The resulting membranes were evaluated as candidates for hemodialysis applications, with SeNPs contributing antioxidant and potentially anticoagulant properties to the membrane matrix. This study illustrates the utility of SeNPs beyond conventional drug delivery, extending into functional biomaterial engineering where selenium's redox activity can confer protective effects in extracorporeal blood-contact scenarios.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity

Green synthesis of SeNPs using Olea europaea (olive) leaf extract was reported in Scientific Reports (PMID: 42143081), with the resulting nanoparticles characterized for antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. Similarly, Scientific Reports (PMID: 42049942) described green biosynthesis using Catharanthus roseus extract, where phytochemicals served dual roles as reducing and stabilizing agents, and the nanoparticles were further evaluated through molecular docking and dynamics simulations to elucidate their bioactive mechanisms. These studies highlight the role of plant-derived phytochemicals, including polyphenols and alkaloids, in shaping the physicochemical and biological profiles of biogenic SeNPs.

Wound Healing and Diabetic Management

A study in Carbohydrate Polymers (PMID: 41832024) reported the development of a glucose-triggered self-reinforcing hydrogel composed of carboxymethyl chitosan, oxidized hyaluronic acid, and borax for delivering selenium nanoparticles in diabetic wound management. The hydrogel system demonstrated excellent antibacterial and antioxidant capacity attributed to SeNP loading, providing a responsive platform that releases therapeutic cargo in response to elevated glucose concentrations characteristic of the diabetic wound environment.

Sepsis and Immunomodulation

A landmark pilot randomized clinical trial published in Drug Resistance Updates (PMID: 41825095) evaluated functional SeNPs as adjunctive therapy in sepsis patients with immune dysfunction. This study, one of the few human clinical investigations involving SeNPs, was designed to assess efficacy and safety in a critical care setting, engaging SeNPs' known capacity to modulate oxidative stress, support immune cell function—including CD4+ effector memory T cells and CD8+ S100B+ T cells—and attenuate the dysregulated inflammatory cascade, including elevated HMGB1 and anti-inflammatory cytokines, characteristic of sepsis.

Mastitis and Ferroptosis

In veterinary medicine, Journal of Dairy Science (PMID: 41780848) reported that oral administration of SeNPs at 20 μg/kg body weight attenuated Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced mastitis in goats. The proposed mechanism involved suppression of ferroptosis—an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death linked to lipid peroxidation—and restoration of antioxidant capacity, with relevance to the SIRT6/NRF2/GPX4 signaling pathway. This positions SeNPs as modulators of ferroptotic pathways and supports their role in protecting mammary gland tissue from oxidative injury during bacterial infection.

Periodontal Disease

Research published in Biomaterials (PMID: 41207151) examined bovine serum albumin-coated selenium nanoparticles (H@Se NPs) in the context of diabetic periodontitis. The albumin corona formulation demonstrated superior anti-inflammatory effects compared to commercially available SeNPs, promoting polarization of macrophages from the pro-inflammatory M1 to the reparative M2 phenotype, as well as enhanced antibacterial activity and improved osteogenesis through activation of the TrxR1/ROS/β-catenin antioxidation cascade.

Food and Nutraceutical Preservation

Food Chemistry (PMID: 41806650) reported a sodium alginate–chitosan hydrogel bead system encapsulating curcumin-loaded SeNPs for antioxidant delivery and lipid matrix stabilization in edible oil preservation. The study extends the utility of SeNPs into food technology, where their antioxidant properties can delay lipid oxidation and extend shelf life of fat-based food products.

Key Publications

• Jun Sodium alginate functionalized biocompatible selenium nanocarriers loaded trans-resveratrol for mitochondrial targeted HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma inhibition study. (Nanomedicine (London, England), 2026, PMID 42165412): "To investigate the use of sodium alginate (SA) for functionalization of selenium nanoparticles (SA@Se NPs) in developing biocompatible nanocarrier to enhance stability, mitochondrial targeting and anticancer efficacy of trans-resveratrol (TRV)."
• May In situ engineered selenium nanoparticles enable multifunctional PLA mixed matrix membranes with potential for hemodialysis. (Journal of materials chemistry. B, 2026, PMID 42093444): "In this study, polylactic acid (PLA)/PEG mixed-matrix membranes incorporating selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs), synthesised in situ using ascorbic acid, were fabricated and evaluated as potential candidates for hemodialysis applications."
• May Selenium nanoparticle-enhanced resveratrol suppresses pulmonary inflammation and fibrogenesis in silicosis via redox-mediated inflammatory pathway modulation. (Inflammopharmacology, 2026, PMID 42159899): "This work conducted a comparative assessment of the therapeutic efficacy of resveratrol (RES)-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (RNP) against RES-mediated green-synthesized selenium (Se) nanoparticles (SNP) in a mouse model of silicosis."
• May Facile green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles using olive (Olea europaea) leaf extract and their antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. (Scientific reports, 2026, PMID 42143081): "Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) were produced from the Olea europaea plant extract and have been characterized using UV-Visible, FTIR, SEM, EDX, zeta potential, and HR-TEM."
• May A glucose-triggered self-reinforcing hydrogel based on carboxymethyl chitosan/oxidized hyaluronic acid/borax for delivering nano-selenium and dynamic diabetic wound management. (Carbohydrate polymers, 2026, PMID 41832024): "Additionally, the hydrogel showed excellent antibacterial, antioxidant capacity by loading selenium nanoparticles."
• May Selenium nanoparticles as antioxidants: green synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of bioactivity. (Biomaterials science, 2026, PMID 41891280): "We present here a novel approach for producing smaller and structurally stable biogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with bioactive coating."
• May Selenium-albumin corona rinse ameliorates diabetic periodontitis by inhibiting inflammation, anti-bacterial and improving osteogenesis via activating TrxR1/ROS/β-catenin anti-oxidation cascade. (Biomaterials, 2026, PMID 41207151): "H@Se NPs have better anti-inflammation via promoting the polarization of macrophages from the M1 to M2 phenotype and anti-bacterial effects than the commercially available selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs)."
• May Selenium nanoparticles attenuate Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced mastitis via the suppression of ferroptosis and antioxidant restoration in goats. (Journal of dairy science, 2026, PMID 41780848): "Selenium nanoparticles (SeNP) offer promising biocompatibility and antioxidant potential, but their efficacy and mechanism against bacterial mastitis remain unexplored."
• May Sodium alginate-based hydrogel beads encapsulating curcumin-selenium nanoparticles for enhanced antioxidant, antimicrobial, and edible oil preservation. (Food chemistry, 2026, PMID 41806650): "In this study, a food-grade sodium alginate-chitosan hydrogel bead system encapsulating curcumin-loaded selenium nanoparticles (Cur@Se) was developed to enhance antioxidant delivery and stability in lipid matrices."
• May Selenium nanoparticles as adjunctive therapy in sepsis: A pilot randomized clinical trial. (Drug resistance updates : reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy, 2026, PMID 41825095): "To address this challenge, we designed functional selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and conducted a pilot randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SeNPs in sepsis patients with immune dysfunction."