Chapter 8 - Biomemetic synthesis of selenium nanoparticles and its biomedical applications

Abstract

Selenium, a building block of the amino acid selenocysteine, which produces selenoproteins like peroxidases and reductases, can be considered an integral micronutrient in the body. The nanoformulation of selenium can be synthesized by physical, chemical, and biological methods. The biogenic synthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are stable, as they do not aggregate due to the coating of biomolecules on its surface. The SeNPs turn from colorless to an intense red color when the microbial cultures are exposed to the precursor. The mechanism involved in the synthesis of SeNPs or detoxification to Se0, via microbial pathway, can either be intracellularly or by external precipitation of selenite by the protein systems present in the microbes. The SeNPs have paved their way into the field of biomedicine by serving as an anticarcinogenic agent, antidiabetic agents, antioxidant agent, or as a nutritional supplement, also as a drug supplement against AIDS or in the treatment of various autoimmune ailments. As bionanotechnology rises in today’s generations, nanotoxicology has also become an important part to be studied. The nano form of selenium poses a low toxicity when compared with other chemical forms of selenium, as tested in rat models.