Effect of chitosan with different molecular weight on the stability, antioxidant and anticancer activities of well‐dispersed selenium nanoparticles

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate and compare the stability, antioxidant and anticancer activities of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) decorated with different molecular weight (MW) of chitosan (CS) (1500 Da, 48 kDa, 510 kDa). The size range of well-dispersed SeNPs was effectively controlled by I − first and then coated with CS. The morphology, size and surface charge of generated SeNPs were characterised by several technologies. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the relationship between SeNPs and CS. SeNPs decorated with CS (510 kDa) can keep stable for more than 45 days. As observed from the results of a simple photometric system, the antioxidant activities of decorated SeNPs were enhanced compared to undecorated SeNPs. SeNPs coated with higher MW of CS (510 kDa) showed the strongest antioxidant activities. Moreover, the treatments of SeNPs decorated with CS inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a time-and dosedependent manner. The proposed results demonstrated the critical roles of the MW of CS on the stability, antioxidant and anticancer properties of CS-coated SeNPs, which provided an important design cue for future applications of functional foods and additives.

Selenium Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications: From Development and Characterization to Therapeutics

“…[ 40,23 ] In fact, small changes in the SeNPs size may have an effect on their antioxidant activities, for example, by promoting Se accumulation and GSH S‐transferase activity in vivo. [ 15 ] Several compounds have been used to stabilize the SeNPs, such as aminoacids, [ 23 ] bovine serum albumin (BSA), [ 97,103 ] polysaccharides (Figure ‐a) like chitosan [ 15,27 ] and gum arabic, [ 15,22,106 ] and polymers as poly(lactic‐ co ‐glycolic acid) (PLGA). [ 102 ]…”

“…[ 40 ] Therefore, several studies have demonstrated the potential application of chitosan as a SeNPs stabilizing agent, and its antioxidant [ 26 ] and antitumor effect, while addressing the effect of the chitosan molecular weight (high vs low) in the morphology and properties of SeNPs. [ 21,27,99 ]…”

“…[ 99,123 ] While chitosan(l)–SeNPs appeared as uniform small spheres of 20–50 nm, chitosan(h)–SeNPs formed irregular aggregates, cross‐linking effects obtained due to the use of high molecular weight macromolecular chitosan. Chitosan(l)–SeNPs maintained their structure for 30 d, after which they started to degrade leading to larger spherical aggregates, [ 27,99,122 ] probably due to the reduction of the absolute ζ ‐potential over time. [ 15 ] Zhang et al demonstrated that chitosan–SeNPs release in gastric (pH 1.2), intestinal (pH 7.4), and sweat (pH 6.3) environments is almost insignificant, supporting the high stability provided by chitosan.…”

“…[ 122 ] Chitosan(h)–SeNPs scavenging activity for ABTS˙ + radical cation and superoxide anion radical (O 2 • − ) was the highest compared to SeNPs stabilized by medium and low molecular weight chitosan ( Figure ). [ 27,124 ] The antioxidant activity of chitosan‐SeNPs was demonstrated in vitro, by inhibiting ROS production in a dose‐dependent manner and enhancing the viability of BABLC‐3T3 cell lines. In vivo, the chitosan–SeNPs enhanced the GPx activity and reduced the lipofuscin levels in mice subjected to UV radiation during 15 d. [ 122 ]…”

“…[ 21–23 ] Several approaches have been explored for decorating and/or functionalizing SeNPs in order to improve formulation stability and targeted therapeutic effect. Several substances have been used to modify SeNP surface, such as amino acids, [ 23 ] peptides [ 24 ] and proteins, [ 25 ] chitosan and other polysaccharides, [ 21,26–28 ] folic acid (FA), [ 29,30 ] and hyaluronic acid (HA), [ 29,30 ] among others [ 13,31 ] discussed in more detail in the next sections of this review.…”