Phytoglycogen, a natural dendrimer-like glucan, improves the soluble amount and Caco-2 monolayer permeation of curcumin and enhances its efficacy to reduce HeLa cell viability

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential of phytoglycogen (PG) to solubilize curcumin (CCM) and improve its in vitro permeation and anticancer efficacy. CCM and PG were incorporated using co-solvent mixing followed by spray- or vacuum-drying. The obtained CCM/PG solid dispersions were evaluated for soluble CCM amount, CCM-PG interactions, Caco-2 monolayer permeation, and inhibitory efficacy against HeLa cells. Results showed that preparation method and PG-to-CCM ratio affected CCM soluble amount, favoring spray-drying and high PG-to-CCM ratios. FTIR spectra suggested the presence of hydrogen bonding between CCM and PG in spray-dried solid dispersions. For Caco-2 monolayer permeation, CCM/PG solid dispersion resulted in the basolateral CCM accumulation of 0.53 μg per well in 120 min, compared with 0.13 μg for curcumin alone. In particular, CCM/PG solid dispersions showed much greater efficacy than CCM alone in reducing the viability of HeLa cells, suggesting the potential of PG to enable CCM as a bioactive compound.