Therapeutic Potential and Main Methods of Obtaining Selenium Nanoparticles

Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Oct 6;22(19):10808. doi: 10.3390/ijms221910808.

Abstract

This review presents the latest data on the importance of selenium nanoparticles in human health, their use in medicine, and the main known methods of their production by various methods. In recent years, a multifaceted study of nanoscale complexes in medicine, including selenium nanoparticles, has become very important in view of a number of positive features that make it possible to create new drugs based on them or significantly improve the properties of existing drugs. It is known that selenium is an essential trace element that is part of key antioxidant enzymes. In mammals, there are 25 selenoproteins, in which selenium is a key component of the active site. The important role of selenium in human health has been repeatedly proven by several hundred works in the past few decades; in recent years, the study of selenium nanocomplexes has become the focus of researchers. A large amount of accumulated data requires generalization and systematization in order to improve understanding of the key mechanisms and prospects for the use of selenium nanoparticles in medicine, which is the purpose of this review.

Keywords: selenium; selenium nanoparticles; therapeutic potential.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antioxidants / administration & dosage*
  • Humans
  • Nanomedicine*
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage*
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Selenium / administration & dosage*
  • Selenium / chemistry
  • Selenoproteins / chemistry
  • Selenoproteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Selenoproteins
  • Selenium