Surface decoration by Spirulina polysaccharide enhances the cellular uptake and anticancer efficacy of selenium nanoparticles

Fang Yang¹*, Quanming Tang^1,2*, Xueyun Zhong³, Yan Bai¹, Tianfeng Chen¹, Yibo Zhang¹, Yinghua Li¹, Wenjie Zheng^1
1Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; ²South China Seas Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; ³Department of Pathology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
*These authors contributed equally to this work

Abstract: A simple and solution-phase method for functionalization of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with Spirulina polysaccharides (SPS) has been developed in the present study. The cellular uptake and anticancer activity of SPS-SeNPs were also evaluated. Monodisperse and homogeneous spherical SPS-SeNPs with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 50 nm were achieved under optimized conditions, which were stable in the solution phase for at least 3 months. SPS surface decoration significantly enhanced the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of SeNPs toward several human cancer cell lines. A375 human melanoma cells were found extremely susceptible to SPS-SeNPs with half maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration value of 7.94 µM. Investigation of the underlying mechanisms revealed that SPS-SeNPs inhibited cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis, as evidenced by an increase in sub-G₁ cell population, deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and phosphatidylserine translocation. Results suggest that the strategy to use SPS as a surface decorator could be an effective way to enhance the cellular uptake and anticancer efficacy of nanomaterials. SPS-SeNPs may be a potential candidate for further evaluation as a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent against human cancers.

Keywords: selenium nanoparticles, Spirulina polysaccharide, cellular uptake, anticancer, apoptosis