UMBELLIFERONE-LOADED SELENIUM NANOPARTICLES: A PROMISING NANOPLATFORM FOR ENHANCED THERAPEUTIC DELIVERY

Abstract

Umbelliferone, 7-hydroxycoumarin, is a natural 7 OH coumarin that is widely found in medicinal plants of the Apiaceae and Rutaceae families. It has garnered a lot of interest due to its antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antihyperglycaemic and anticancer properties. However, many bioactive molecules derived from plants have therapeutic potential, yet are limited by various physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties including low water solubility, bioavailability and low half-life in biological systems. Nanotechnology is a way to provide solutions to some of these problems. Among the different nanomaterials investigated for biomedical applications, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are particularly interesting because selenium is an essential trace element and nanoscale selenium has been explored for antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer applications. It has been recently shown that SeNPs can be used in combination with natural compounds containing coumarin. In a 2026 study, umbelliprenin showed more effect on the viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and decreased expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and ICAM-1 when compared with the individual components. This finding is structurally different from umbelliferone; however, it offers a rationale to exploring similar coumarin–SeNP systems. More directly, in a 2026 report, spherical SeNPs in the reported 50–150 nm range were reported as being synthesized with umbelliferone, and the authors showed that there was an interaction between the two and a prolonged release of umbelliferone. This short review summarizes the pharmacological potential of umbelliferone, the rationale for selenium nanoparticle-based delivery, reported approaches for preparation and characterization of UMB-SeNPs, their possible therapeutic advantages, and the research questions that remain before this system can progress toward in vivo and clinical evaluation.