Poria cocos polysaccharide decorated selenium nanoparticles attenuate colitis by suppressing hyper inflammation

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for mammals. Inadequate Se can aggravate the development of inflammatory bowel diseases. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are characterized by low toxicity and anti-inflammatory properties with functional modifications. Poria cocos polysaccharide (PYN) was purchased from Elicityl. Antibodies included anti-COX-2 and anti-TNF-α were obtained from Cell SignalingTechnology. Cell uptake of PYNSeNPs and SeNPs during the time course was compared and evidenced by images taken by fluorescence microscope. The particle-size distribution of PYN-SeNPs was 35–80 nm, which is smaller compared to 305–900 nm of SeNPs. Acute colitis mice were treated with/without PYNSeNPs and the body weights were measured daily. The effect of PYN-SeNPs on colitis was detected by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. PYN-SeNPs supplementation may offer therapeutic potential to reduce the symptoms of acute colitis through its anti-inflammatory actions.