Background: The potent antioxidant lycopene has attracted a large amount of research
attention given its potential health benefits. We aimed to assess the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
and antioxidant properties of lycopene (Lyc), selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs), and lycopene selenium
nanoparticles (Lyc-Se-NPs). Methods: FTIR, polydispersity index, and zeta potential evaluations
provided a complete characterization of the synthesized Lyc-Se-NPs. The broth dilution method
and a crystal violet microtiter plate assay were employed to assess the antibacterial and antibiofilm
activity, respectively. The rat wound infection model was performed to study the anti-inflammatory
effect. Findings: The Lyc-Se-NPs had a zeta potential range of −16.93 to −31.04 mV and a mean
particle size of 126.6 ± 3.12 nm. All peaks’ percentage transmittance decreased, according to the FTIR
analysis of the Lyc-Se-NPs, with the exception of one peak at 2924.22 cm−1
, which is suggestive of
C-H stretching. The mean scavenging concentrations for Lyc-Se-NPs in the DPPH and ABTS radical
scavenging experiments were 3.85 ± 0.65 and 4.26 ± 0.7 µg/mL, respectively. For S. aureus, the
Lyc-Se-NPs’ MIC values varied from 64 to 1024 µg/mL. CLSM verified that S. aureus treated with
sub-MICs of Lyc-Se-NPs showed a significant reduction in biofilm formation. Furthermore, the group
treated with 50 mg of Lyc-Se-NPs showed the quickest rate of wound healing. They demonstrated a
notable elevation of the HO−1
content in skin tissues, together with the greatest downregulation of
TNF-α, IL-1β, and COX-2. Conclusions: The distinguishing features of Lyc-Se-NPs reveal that this
unique compound is a promising antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agent.
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