article · Soil Systems
Selenium is an essential micronutrient vital for human health and lower plants, operating primarily through twenty-five known selenoproteins. People typically obtain selenium via crops that absorb it from soil, enriched foods, or dietary supplements. In recent developments, selenium nanoparticles have emerged as promising tools for biofortifying food and animal feed due to their low toxicity and high efficiency, alongside uses in cancer therapies and nanomedicine. Both conventional selenium and selenium nanoparticles possess antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, and immune-modulatory properties. These attributes can support the productivity of crops and farm animals facing environmental stress. In particular, adding nano-selenium to livestock and aquaculture feeds could boost resilience and growth. However, further extensive research remains necessary to fully evaluate the potential cytotoxicity and adverse health effects of selenium nanoparticles on humans.
Ensuring adequate selenium intake is vital for human wellbeing, yet environmental stresses can lower agricultural output. Exploring selenium nanoparticles offers a route to enrich food crops, livestock, and farmed fish while improving their resilience to stress. Understanding both the benefits and safety profiles of these nanoparticles is essential for developing healthier, more resilient food systems.
The findings point to applications in animal feed formulation, aquaculture, crop biofortification, and nanomedicine. Feed manufacturers and agricultural producers could use nano-selenium additives to improve livestock and fish resilience under stressful conditions. However, the technology appears to be at an early to intermediate research stage, as extensive safety and cytotoxicity testing is still required before broader commercial deployment in human food and clinical medicine can occur.
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Selenium is an essential micronutrient required for the health of humans and lower plants, but its importance for higher plants is still being investigated. The biological functions of Se related to human health revolve around its presence in 25 known selenoproteins (e.g., selenocysteine or the 21st amino acid). Humans may receive their required Se through plant uptake of soil Se, foods enriched in Se, or Se dietary supplements. Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) have been applied to biofortified foods and feeds. Due to low toxicity and high efficiency, Se-NPs are used in applications such as cancer therapy and nano-medicines. Selenium and nano-selenium may be able to support and enhance the productivity of cultivated plants and animals under stressful conditions because they are antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic agents, with antioxidant capacity and immune-modulatory efficacy. Thus, nano-selenium could be inserted in the feeds of fish and livestock to improvise stress resilience and productivity. This review offers new insights in Se and Se-NPs biofortification for edible plants and farm animals under stressful environments. Further, extensive research on Se-NPs is required to identify possible adverse effects on humans and their cytotoxicity.
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DOI: 10.3390/soilsystems4030057
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