Selenium Chitosan and Selenium Carboxymethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles Combined with Curcumin Chitosan Nanoparticles to Enhance Antibacterial and Antiviral Activities

Abstract

The use of nanoparticles is a promising strategy for combating pathogenic microorganisms. This study introduces a novel hybrid nanosystem combining selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) with curcumin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Cur-CS NPs) to enhance  antimicrobial efficacy. The results indicate that increasing the rotation speed to 1500 rpm, the potassium iodide and ascorbic acid  concentrations to 40 mM and 70 mM, respectively, leads to the production of smaller Se NPs. Furthermore, Cur-CS NPs, prepared via  ionotropic gelation, exhibited a pH-dependent release profile. Two hybrid systems were developed, one combining Se-chitosan NPs  (Se-CS, 73 nm) with Cur-CS NPs, and another combining Se-carboxymethyl chitosan NPs (Se-CMCS, 80 nm) with Cur-CS NPs. Both combinations demonstrated remarkable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, with similar minimum inhibitory concentrations (0.570–1.251 µg/mL) and minimum bactericidal concentrations against E. coli (1.251 µg/mL) and S. aureus (9.251 µg/mL). Furthermore, SeCS@Cur-CS NPs demonstrated potent antiviral activity, exhibiting a two-fold higher efficacy in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 compared to SeCMCS@Cur-CS NPs. All systems maintained excellent biocompatibility, showing no cytotoxicity to Vero cells at concentrations up to 110 µg/mL. These findings suggest a synergistic effect between stabilized selenium nanoparticles and Cur-CS NPs, yielding a multifunctional platform with dual antibacterial and antiviral capabilities.