Pectin mediated synthesis of curcumin loaded poly(lactic acid) nanocapsules for cancer treatment

Abstract

The curcumin was widely reported to be an efficient therapeutic drug for the cancer treatment and was known to affect the apoptosis of cancer cells. An effort has been made to synthesis a cost-effective and productive system for a sustained curcumin release. The curcumin encapsulated PLA nanocapsules were synthesized with the assistance of pectin from Momordica charantia fruit extract through emulsification-solvent evaporation method. It was surprising to note that the method resulted in particles within nanoregime and had encapsulation efficiency around 90%. The in vitro release studies have shown a sustained curcumin release, after a burst release in the initial 12 h. The plate-counting method adopted to evaluate the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram negative) had provided the minimal inhibitory concentration of nanocapsules. The in vitro cell tests with normal cells and cancer cells, in addition to the hemolytic study demonstrate the biocompatibility and bioactivity of the curcumin loaded PLA nanocapsules. The PLA-10Cur NPs with nano-formulation could easily penetrate into the cancer cells and can cause a sustained drug release for the effective cancer treatment. The study unveils an eco-friendly and emulsification-solvent evaporation strategy for developing nanocapsules for loading drugs for the targeted drug delivery.