Selenium Nanoparticles Decorated by Blueberry Pomace Polysaccharides Improve the Protection Effects Against Erythrocyte Hemolysis

In this study, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) were synthesized using polysaccharides extracted from blueberry pomace (BP) as a stabilizing agent. BP was characterized as an acidic polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 5.4 × 10⁵ Da. The resulting BP-SeNPs were monodisperse spheres with an average size of 94.33 nm, as confirmed by TEM, DLS, FT-IR, XRD, and EDX analyses. Compared to SeNPs, BP-SeNPs demonstrated superior stability under varying conditions of storage time, temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Furthermore, in vitro evaluation using AAPH-induced rabbit erythrocytes revealed that BP-SeNPs offered enhanced protection against hemolysis. This protective effect was attributed to their ability to significantly bolster antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px) and preserve membrane integrity by maintaining ATPase function and sialic acid content. These results establish BP as an effective stabilizer for SeNPs and suggest the promising potential of BP-SeNPs as antioxidant agents in functional food or nutraceutical applications.