Ultrasonication and Compositional Effect on Morphology and Encapsulation Efficiency of Curcumin Loaded in PLA

Abstract

<b><sc>Abstract.</sc></b> Curcumin has diverse pharmacological applications as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-fungal, and antibacterial. However, high hydrophobicity, rapid metabolism, and low bioavailability limit its application. Encapsulation improves its application by enhancing the bioavailability, stability, and solubility of this active compound. The study's objective was to investigate the ultrasonication effect and the compositional parameters on the physical attributes and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the curcumin nanoparticles (NP). Through the emulsion evaporation method, (CN) were loaded into (poly-lactic acid -PLA). The selected parameters: curcumin concentration, surfactant concentration, sonication amplitude, and time were performed to achieve the highest nanoparticle attributes. Curcumin concentration of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/mL at sonication amplitude of 80 and 100 µm with varying sonication time was used to prepare CN. The CN encapsulated in PLA (CNPLA) was characterized by a differential scanning calorimeter. A dynamic light scattering instrument was used to determine the Poly-dispersity Index (PDI), average hydrodynamic diameter (HD), and the zeta potential (ZP) and EE determined by UV vis-spectrophotometer. The results show that an increase in amplitude and 5 minutes sonication time resulted in significant (p < 0.05) decreased nanoparticle length. Concentrations of 0.2 mg/mL and 400 mg of dimethylamine boren at 100 µm exhibited optimum PDI, HD, ZP, and EE values. At 5min sonication time, PDI of 0.221±0.048, mean HD was 458.6±58.6 nm, and ZP was -57.3 mV. The EE was highest at 0.2 mg/mL concentration of Curcumin. Additionally, longer sonication time resulted in improved dispersion of the solvent. The results show that ultrasonication and compositional parameters can affect the processing of curcumin nanoparticles.