title: Impact of heat treatment on size, structure, and bioactivity of elemental selenium nanoparticles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elemental selenium nanoparticles have emerged as a novel selenium source with the advantage of reduced risk of selenium toxicity. The present work investigated whether heat treatment affects the size, structure, and bioactivity of selenium nanoparticles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a one-hour incubation of solution containing 80 nm selenium particles in a 90°C water bath, the nanoparticles aggregated into larger 110 nm particles and nanorods (290 nm × 70 nm), leading to significantly reduced bioavailability and phase II enzyme induction in selenium-deficient mice. When a solution containing 40 nm selenium nanoparticles was treated under the same conditions, the nanoparticles aggregated into larger 72 nm particles but did not transform into nanorods, demonstrating that the thermostability of selenium nanoparticles is size-dependent, smaller selenium nanoparticles being more resistant than larger selenium nanoparticles to transformation into nanorods during heat treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results suggest that temperature and duration of the heat process, as well as the original nanoparticle size, should be carefully selected when a solution containing selenium nanoparticles is added to functional foods.
authors.affiliation: School of Tea and Food Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Anhui, People's Republic of China. zjs@ahau.edu.cn
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ethan W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Dungeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D004355:Drug Stability; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D012643:Selenium