Biogenic selenium nanoparticles: a multifunctional tool for combating oxidative stress and chronic diseases

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have attracted considerable attention, as they demonstrate high biocompatibility, the potential to regulate the redox state, and a strong antioxidant effect. Compared to traditional selenium supplements, SeNPs have low toxicity levels but retain their therapeutic value in treating oxidative stress and related chronic diseases. This review contains detailed discussions of the methods of SeNP synthesis, including physical, chemical, and biological methods, especially toward the green approaches of SeNP synthesis using plants and microbes. Moreover, the article discusses the wide biomedical uses of SeNPs, such as their application in diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Mechanistically, SeNPs reduce oxidative stress, alter apoptotic molecules, and improve the action of chemotherapeutic agents including doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel, while also exhibiting activity against multidrug-resistant microorganisms including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. They also have the potential to be used in nanomedicine because they can serve as specific drug carriers. Further studies are needed to establish uniform synthesis procedures and to assess long-term safety in preparation of clinical translation. Although there has been an increasing literature on the synthesis of biogenic SeNPs and their biomedical uses, there are still some areas of knowledge gaps. The comparative analysis of physicochemical characteristics of different synthesis methods (such as particle size, yield, stability, and repeatability) based on downstream therapeutics has never been conducted in the past literature. In addition, other key selenoproteins, i.e., thioredoxin reductase (TRxR) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4), as possible neuroprotectants of SeNPs have not been adequately examined in the literature. In order to address these gaps, this review provides a synthesis of the available information on biogenic SeNPs, especially how it works, critically evaluating its pharmacological efficacy and translational maturity in these unexplored fields.