Selenium is an essential element in the body. Its bioactive properties can protect against neurological conditions, diabetes, cancer and other chronic disorders. However, selenium in various biological forms (bulk) can be toxic. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have unique properties which might prevent this toxicity, providing a potential alternative for selenium supplementation and therapy. However, more studies are needed to see where SeNPs localize in the body, as well as comparing their toxicology with conventional forms of selenium in different age groups. We synthesized and characterized SeNPs of 70–90 nm, then injected them into young and adult rats to see where they distributed in the body. This was compared with rats injected with bulk selenium. SeNPs showed preferential accumulation in the liver, followed by the testes and kidneys. Next, the toxicity profiles of SeNPs and bulk selenium were established by measuring a series of health markers in the liver. It was found that the protection against toxicity provided by SeNPs was more significant in younger rats. Our results demonstrate that the same dose may behave differently in different age groups and that bulk selenium induces different toxicities in young and adult rats compared with SeNPs, highlighting the importance of different indicators of health for the monitoring of selenium-related toxicity when designing selenium-based therapeutics.
硒是人体内必不可少的元素。它的生物活性特性可以预防神经系统疾病,糖尿病,癌症和其他慢性疾病。然而,各种生物形式(散装)的硒可能是有毒的。硒纳米颗粒(SeNPs)具有独特的性质,可以防止这种毒性,为硒的补充和治疗提供了一个潜在的替代方案。然而,需要更多的研究来了解SeNPs在体内的位置,以及将它们的毒理学与不同年龄段的常规形式的硒进行比较。我们合成并表征了70-90nm的SeNPs,然后将它们注射到幼年和成年大鼠体内,看看它们在体内的分布。将其与注射大量硒的大鼠进行比较。SeNPs在肝脏中表现出优先积累,其次是睾丸和肾脏.接下来,通过测量肝脏中的一系列健康标志物,建立了SeNPs和大量硒的毒性谱。发现由SeNPs提供的对毒性的保护在年轻大鼠中更显著。我们的结果表明,与SeNPs相比,相同剂量在不同年龄段的行为可能有所不同,并且大量硒在年轻和成年大鼠中诱导不同的毒性,在设计基于硒的疗法时,强调不同健康指标对监测硒相关毒性的重要性。