Synthesis, characterization, and anti-tumor properties of O-benzoylselenoglycolic chitosan

This study introduces a facile method for synthesizing O-benzoylselenoglycolic chitosan with a high selenium concentration of 45.32 mg/g. The characterizations of the chemical structure via FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, TGA, and XRD analyses indicated that benzoylselenoglycolic acid was successfully grafted onto the C6 hydroxyl group of chitosan. The anti-cancer activity of the O-benzoylselenoglycolic chitosan was investigated in vitro using a HepG2 cell model, and the results indicated that it has excellent anticancer activity against HepG2 cancer cells with an IC50 value of 0.53 μg/mL while exhibiting non-toxicity against normal cells (L-02). Furthermore, a mechanistic study revealed that the O-benzoylselenoglycolic chitosan could induce early apoptosis, G2/M, S phase arrest, and activation of caspase-3 activity to inhibit the HepG2 cell growth. This study has led to novel organic selenium species, and the results suggest its potential to be used as an effective ingredient for cancer prevention and therapy in the food and pharmaceutical fields.