The Influence of Synthesis Conditions on the Antioxidant Activity of Selenium Nanoparticles

Zsyntetyzowano nanocząstki selenu elementarnego stosując cysteinę i kwas askorbinowy jako reduktory w obecności oraz nieobecności alkoholu poliwinylowego jako stabilizatora. Sprawdzono wpływ warunków syntezy oraz sposobu oczyszczania otrzymanych nanocząstek na ich właściwości antyutleniajace.

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have attracted great attention in recent years due to their unique properties and potential bioactivities. While the production of SeNPs has been long reported, there is little news about the influence of reaction conditions and clean-up procedure on their physical properties (e.g., shape, size) as well as their antioxidant activity. This study takes up this issue. SeNPs were synthesized by two methods using cysteine and ascorbic acid as selenium reductants. The reactions were performed with and without the use of polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizer. After the synthesis, SeNPs were cleaned using various procedures. The antioxidant properties of the obtained SeNPs were investigated using DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. It was found that their antioxidant activity does not always depend only on the nanoparticles size but also on their homogeneity. Moreover, the size and morphology of selenium nanoparticles are controlled by the clean-up step.