Synthesis and antioxidant properties of gum arabic-stabilized selenium nanoparticles

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were prepared by using gum arabic (GA) as the stabilizer in a facile synthetic approach. The size, morphology, stability and antioxidant activity in vitro of the gum arabic-selenium nanocomposites (GA-SeNPs) were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV–vis). SeNPs (particle size of ∼34.9 nm) can be stabilized in gum arabic aqueous solutions for approximately 30 days. FTIR results show that SeNPs were combined to the hydroxyl groups of GA. In the present work, the alkali-hydrolyzed GA (AHGA) was also prepared and its efficiency in stabilizing SeNPs was compared with GA. It was concluded that the branched structure of GA was a significant factor for the functionality. The hydroxyl radical scavenging ability and DPPH scavenging ability of GA-SeNPs were higher than those of AHGA-SeNPs and could reach 85.3 ± 2.6%, 85.3 ± 1.9% at a concentration of 4 mg/ml, respectively.