Selenized Anhydroicaritin: Preparation, Characterization, and Biological Activities in Antioxidant, Antitumor, and Immunostimulation

In the study, selenylation modification of Anhydroicaritin (AICT) was carried out using sodium selenite as the selenochemical agent. The structural characterization of selenide-modified AICT (Se-AICT, ∼24.31 mg/g of selenium) was conducted using a range of analytical techniques. It was found that the Se⁴⁺ and AICT may form octahedral six-coordination complexes through Se-O bond and C-O-Se bond without altering the primary structure of the flavonoid parent ring. The in vitro antioxidant activity experiments demonstrated that Se-AICT exhibited superior antioxidant properties, enhanced inhibitory effects on A549 tumor cells proliferation and migration, promotion of A549 tumor cells apoptosis, and augmented the activity of macrophage RAW264.7 cells compared to the original substance AICT. In this effort, the novel AICT selenium-enriched derivative was successfully synthesized for the first time, which provides a novel avenue for the development and utilization of selenoflavonoid-related foods and drugs.