Feeding foliar nano-selenium biofortified Panax notoginseng could reduce the occurrence of glycolipid metabolism disorder in mice caused by high-fat diets

Nano-selenium (nano-Se) has been extensively explored as a biostimulant for improving the quality of grain crops. However, there are few reports about the effect on the medicinal components of Chinese herbal medicine cultured with nano-Se. Here, we sprayed nano-Se during the cultivation of Panax notoginseng (SePN), and measured the changes of medicinal components compared with conventional Panax notoginseng (PN). Furthermore, we identified a more pronounced effect of SePN on reducing obesity in animals compared with PN. By measuring antioxidant capacity, histopathology, gene expression related to glycolipid metabolism, and gut microbiota composition, we propose a potential mechanism for SePN to improve animal health. Compared with the control groups, foliar spraying of nano-Se increased saponins content (Rb2, Rb3, Rc, F2, Rb2, and Rf) in the roots of Panax notoginseng, and the content of Rb2 increased by 3.9 times in particular. Interestingly, animal studies indicated that taking seleni...