Selenium nanoparticles stabilized by sweet corncob polysaccharide inhibit hypoglycemia in vitro and alleviate symptoms in type 2 diabetes mice

In this investigation, we employed an oxidation–reduction method to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and applied a coating of sweet corn polysaccharides (SCP) to confer stability upon the SeNPs. We characterized the SCP-coated SeNPs using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Ultraviolet–visible spectrum, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Our findings revealed that the resulting SCP-coated SeNPs possessed an average particle size of 127.82 nm and exhibited superior inhibitory effects on α-amylase and α-glucosidase when compared to SCP in vitro experiments. The inhibition kinetics and fluorescence quenching mechanism demonstrated that the inhibitory action of SCP-coated SeNPs on both enzymes was of a competitive nature, predominantly mediated by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. In in vivo experiments, SCP-coated SeNPs demonstrated promising hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant properties in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) mice. Collectively, our study underscores the remarkable potential of SCP-coated SeNPs in ameliorating T2DM.