Green Synthesized BSA-Coated Selenium Nanoparticles Inhibit Bacterial Growth While Promoting Mammalian Cell Growth

BACKGROUND: Selenium is an essential trace element that is critical for many biological processes. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have shown more promise than other forms of selenium due to their low cytotoxicity and high bioavailability. METHODS: In this work, a one-step method was demonstrated for fabricating bovine serum albumin (BSA) stabilized SeNPs using ascorbic acid as the reductant. Human dermal fibroblasts were used to assess mammalian cytotoxicity, and Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were used to assess antibacterial performance. RESULTS: These SeNPs demonstrated increased fibroblast growth and reduced Staphylococcus aureus growth with a fibroblast IC(50) value (>681 μg/mL) 1 order of magnitude higher than that for bacteria at day 1. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the promise of this synthesis process in achieving controllable selenium nanoparticle sizes without the use of strong basic solvents for improved antibacterial properties.