Evaluation of the use of selenium nanoparticles for biofortification of rice grains

• Grant number: 20/00284-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2020
• End date: October 02, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Bruno Lemos Batista
• Grantee: Bruna Moreira Freire
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/04254-6 - Evaluation of spICP-MS for sizing SeNPs internalized by rice plants and localization of the Se accumulated by LA-ICP-MS, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Rice is a staple food for the world population, being consumed in the form of grain or processed to produce derivatives. But this food is poor in Se (on average 68.4 ng g-1), an essential trace element for humans that has antioxidant properties in the body. About 1 billion of people around the world have a selenium deficient diet. Some alternatives for increasing Se intake and reducing Se deficiency are the consumption of dietary supplements, Se-enriched foods and supplementation of feed animals. Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary science that has received increasing attention in recent decades, enabling scientific advances in different areas such as Medicine and environment. Incorporating Se into nanoparticles is a promising strategy for harnessing the therapeutic benefits of Se and the unique properties of nanomaterials. Thus, the present project aims to develop a method for application of selenium nanoparticles in rice cultivation aiming the biofortification of this food, as well as to evaluate the effects of this treatment on plant development and the concentration of other nutritional elements. The spICP-MS (single particle ICP-MS) is a method for counting nanoparticles in aqueous matrices that allows the determination of concentration, distribution and size of nanoparticles. A method of sizing nanoparticles of Se in rice by spICP-MS will be developed and applied. To determine the optimal concentration of nanoparticles, their toxicity in pre-germinated rice seeds will be evaluated. Two forms of application (foliar and soil) will be tested. After selection of the concentration and application form, the rice will be grown until full maturity, with Se nanoparticles applied every 15 days. Finally, the following parameters will be evaluated in plants: i-) agronomic parameters; (ii) Se, Zn Fe, Cu, Mn, As and Cd concentrations and the translocation of each element in the soil-plant system; iii-) Se species in grains and; iv-) Se bioaccessibility in grains. This project is expected to provide a better understanding of the use of nanoparticles in agriculture and the internalization of nanoparticles using spICP-MS, adding nutritional value to rice grain, a globally consumed food. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FREIRE, BRUNA MOREIRA; PANIZ, FERNANDA POLLO; LANGE, CAMILA NEVES; PEDRON, TATIANA; DA SILVA, JAQUELINE TROMBETTA; SANCHEZ, FABIANA E SILVA; PARFITT, JOSE MARIA BARBAT; BATISTA, BRUNO LEMOS. Effect of water management on human exposure to inorganic arsenic and other trace elements through rice consumption. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, v. 122, p. 11-pg., 2023-06-16. (22/04254-6, 14/05151-0, 16/10060-9, 16/19924-6, 20/00284-2)

FREIRE, BRUNA MOREIRA; GONZAGA, ROBERTA GRANJA; PEDRON, TATIANA; MONTEIRO, LUCILENA REBELO; LANGE, CAMILA NEVES; PEDREIRA FILHO, WALTER DOS REIS; BATISTA, BRUNO LEMOS. Occupational exposure to potentially toxic elements in the foundry industry: an integrated environmental and biological monitoring. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 28, n. 26, SI, p. 34630-34641, JUL 2021. (16/19924-6, 17/20914-8, 20/00284-2, 16/10060-9, 14/05151-0)

FREIRE, BRUNA MOREIRA; CAVALCANTI, YASMIN TAVARES; LANGE, CAMILA NEVES; PIERETTI, JOANA CLAUDIO; PEREIRA, RODRIGO MENDES; GONCALVES, MARCELLY CHUE; NAKAZATO, GERSON; SEABRA, AMEDEA BAROZZI; BATISTA, BRUNO LEMOS. Evaluation of collision/reaction gases in single-particle ICP-MS for sizing selenium nanoparticles and assessment of their antibacterial activity. Nanotechnology, v. 33, n. 35, p. 12-pg., 2022-08-27. (20/00284-2, 18/08194-2, 16/10060-9, 14/05151-0)