Selenium and Nano-Selenium Biofortification for Human Health: Opportunities and Challenges

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...

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Published inSoil systems Vol. 4; no. 3; p. 57
Main Authors El-Ramady, Hassan, Faizy, Salah E.-D., Abdalla, Neama, Taha, Hussein, Domokos-Szabolcsy, Éva, Fari, Miklós, Elsakhawy, Tamer, Omara, Alaa El-Dein, Shalaby, Tarek, Bayoumi, Yousry, Shehata, Said, Geilfus, Christoph-Martin, Brevik, Eric C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published MDPI AG 09.09.2020
Subjects
antioxidant activity
biofortification
biofortified crops
cancer therapy
cereal crops
cytotoxicity
farms
fish
human disease
human health
hyper-accumulators
livestock
nanomedicine
selenium
selenocysteine
selenoproteins
soil
vegetable crops
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Summary: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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ISSN:2571-8789
2571-8789
DOI:10.3390/soilsystems4030057