Research Article In Vitro Antibacterial Spectrum of Sodium Selenite against Selected Human Pathogenic Bacterial Strains Mohammad Firoz Alam, 1 Mohammed M. Safhi, 1 Sivakumar Sivagurunathan Moni, 2 and Aamena Jabeen 2 1 Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia 2 Division of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia Correspondence should be addressed to Mohammad Firoz Alam; frozalam309@gmail.com Received 1 December 2015; Revised 31 January 2016; Accepted 15 February 2016 Academic Editor: Qian Wang Copyright © 2016 Mohammad Firoz Alam et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Te objective of this investigation was to predict the antibacterial properties of sodium selenite against selected human pathogens. A group of six human bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella planticola were utilized for screening. Te spectrum of activity was qualifed based on zone of inhibition. Our study demonstrated that sodium selenite exhibits a strong spectrum of activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella planticola. Te spectrum of activity was compared with standard ciprofoxacin disc (5 g/disc) and observed to have satisfactory efect. 1. Introduction Sodium selenite is an element that is reported to have an antioxidant property as well as potential anticancer activity [1, 2]. Sodium selenite is also known as disodium salt of selenious acid which is colorless and a water soluble solid inorganic compound mainly used in the manufacturing of colorless glass [3]. Selenium was frst identifed as an essential trace element in mammals in 1997 and was known to be required for variety of functional Se-dependent proteins (selenoproteins) in most living organisms [4–6]. Selenium acts as a supplement for the enzyme glutathione peroxidase [7, 8], which is involved in the normal permeability of cell membranes, by removing H 2 O 2 and preventing the produc- tion of lipid peroxides [9]. Certain selenium compounds have a catalytic property by producing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) through interaction with thiols, such as reduced glutathione, forming the glutathione selenide anion, GSSe [10]. ROS, including superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxide radical, causes cellular damage such as DNA oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation [11]. Te paradox of selenium (Se) is that it is both essential and toxic to living organism. Many of the earlier reports showed that the mechanism of selenium compounds is still unclear. Te essentiality and toxicity of selenium in vertebrates generate the remarkable scientifc research interest in this element. In this research work we proposed a model to screen the antibacterial properties of sodium selenite as very limited works have been reported to fnd out the spectrum of activity. Terefore, we are reporting the antibacterial properties of sodium selenite against the selected Gram positive and Gram negative human pathogenic bacteria. 2. Materials and Method 2.1. Preparation of Sodium Selenite 1% w/v Stock Solution. Sodium selenite was obtained from Sigma Aldrich, India. It was white powder and highly soluble in water. Working stock solution of 1% w/v of sodium selenite was prepared by dissolving in double distilled sterilized water. Te 1% w/v solution of sodium selenite was clear and transparent. 2.2. Strains Used. Six bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Hindawi Publishing Corporation Scientifica Volume 2016, Article ID 9176273, 4 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9176273