Selenium nanomaterials in biomedicine—An overview of new opportunities in nanomedicine of selenium

Abstract

Selenium is one of the most important dietary supplements in the human diet. It is incorporated into the synthesis of many antioxidant proteins, which serve as scavengers of reactive oxygen species such as glutathione peroxidase. Therefore, selenium has become antagonistic and resistant to many diseases resulting from oxidative stress such as arthritis, tumors, and heart and brain diseases. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have the potential to serve as new nutritional supplements with higher degradability, lower toxicity and ability to be cleared gradually from the body. Selenium nanoparticles have emerged as unusual selenium species with amazing prophylactic and therapeutic properties with dual synergistic effects of providing therapeutic cargo and improved anticancer activity. Recent investigations have also explored new applications of nano-scaled forms of selenium for a wide range of biological activities such as antibacterial and antifungal agents. Herein, we provide a focused account on the recent advances on various biomedical applications of selenium nanoparticles with a particular emphasis on their chemistry, nanotechnology and various applications in life sciences.