Addition of Selenium to Silver Nanoparticles: An Approach to Enhance Their Antimicrobial and Biological Properties – Systematic Review

The aim was to address the question, "Can the addition of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) enhance their antimicrobial and biological properties?" This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines and was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF). A comprehensive search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, ScienceDirect, and the gray literature databases (Google Scholar and ProQuest) to identify in vitro studies evaluating the effect of SeNPs incorporation into AgNPs (Se-AgNPs) on antimicrobial activity and biological behavior. Se-AgNPs demonstrated enhanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungal strains. Additionally, they exhibited improved cell adhesion, viability, and proliferation, along with reduced cytotoxicity. Se-AgNPs showed a synergistic enhancement of antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, with a potential reduction in cytotoxic effects. Nevertheless, the small number of studies limits the strength of the conclusions, underscoring the need for rigorous, standardized investigations to strengthen or refute these findings.