Effect of the selenium nanoparticle/ oligochitosan and Spirulina platensis mixture to the quantity of white blood cells in mice

Abstract

Selenium is important for regulating immune responses including the effects of immune-related diseases, especially neutrophil disorders. Spirulina platensis can also promote immune competent-cell proliferation. For these reasons, the study aims to investigate the effects of combining S. platensis and selenium nanoparticle/ oligochitosan on white blood cell number in mice. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with the diameter of 47.33±1.61 nm were synthesised by gamma Co-60 irradiation of SeO2 /oligochitosan solution. SeNPs were characterised using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Results showed that SeNPs/oligochitosan could be stored at 4o C within 45 days. The number of white blood cells in 10 days increased by 1.59 times as compared to the control mice thank to the supplementation of SeNPs/oligochitosan and S. platensis mixture (at a dose of 0.1 mg SeNPs/kg/ day and 0.1 g S. platensis/kg/day).