Biogenic selenium nanoparticles produced by ATCC 393 inhibit colon cancer cell growth and .

Selenium compounds exhibit excellent anticancer properties but have a narrow therapeutic window. Selenium nanoparticles, however, are less toxic compared to other selenium forms, and their biogenic production leads to improved bioavailability. Herein, we used the probiotic strain ATCC 393, previously shown to inhibit colon cancer cell growth, to synthesize biogenic selenium nanoparticles. We examined the anticancer activity of orally administered , -derived selenium nanoparticles and selenium nanoparticle-enriched , and investigated their antitumor potential in the CT26 syngeneic colorectal cancer model in BALB/c mice. Our results indicate that -derived selenium nanoparticles and selenium nanoparticle-enriched exert cancer-specific antiproliferative activity Moreover, the nanoparticles were found to induce apoptosis and elevate reactive oxygen species levels in cancer cells. It is noteworthy that, when administered orally, selenium nanoparticle-enriched attenuated the growth of colon carcinoma in mice more effectively than the isolated nanoparticles or , suggesting a potential additive effect of the nanoparticles and the probiotic. To the best of our knowledge this is the first comparative study examining the anticancer effects of selenium nanoparticles synthesized by a microorganism, the selenium nanoparticle-enriched microorganism and the sole microorganism.