Physicochemical stability and functional properties of selenium nanoparticles stabilized by chitosan, carrageenan,...

To meet the increasing demand for polysaccharide-stabilized selenium nanoparticles (PS-Se°NPs) for industrial applications, in this study, we employed three commonly-used polysaccharides (i.e. chitosan (CS), carrageenan (Cg) and Gum Arabic (GA)) to fabricate Se°NPs, and compared their functional properties and their physicochemical stabilities, under varying conditions (ionic strength, pH, and temperature). The results showed that CS-Se°NPs had higher storage stability but easily aggregated in 500 mM NaCl or at pH > 8 because of their surface cationic groups. This, however, improved their DPPH free radical scavenging and antitumor activities. Compared to CS-Se°NPs, the anionic groups in Cg-Se°NPs increased their resistant to pH variations and reduced cellular toxicity, and the multi-branched structure of GA-Se°NPs increased their thermal stability. Overall, this study shows that the behaviors of PS-Se°NPs depends mainly on ionizable functional groups and the structure of polysaccharides, contributing to the development of PS-Se°NPs with applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries.