Curcumin Loading Research Articles

Construction of curcumin-fortified juices using their self-derived extracellular vesicles as natural delivery systems: grape, tomato, and orange juices.

Different fruit and vegetable juices were first used to encapsulate curcumin to improve its solubility, stability, and bioaccessibility, which is expected to enable designing of polyphenol-enriched beverages and impact human health and well-being. Briefly, fruit and vegetable-derived extracellular vesicles usually serve as transport and communication tools between different cells, which means they also may be utilized as delivery carriers for other bioactive agents. Curcumin, as a model polyphenol with many physiological activities, typically has low water-solubility, stability, and bioaccessibility. Therefore, extracellular vesicles were applied to load curcumin to overcome these challenges and to facilitate its incorporation into fruit and vegetable juices. Three kinds of curcumin-loaded fruit and vegetable juices, including curcumin-loaded grape (Cur-G), tomato (Cur-T), and orange (Cur-O) juices, exhibited higher encapsulation efficiency (>80%) than others. The patterns of XRD and FTIR confirmed that curcumin moved into extracellular vesicles in the amorphous form and that the hydrogen bonding force was found between them. Three kinds of fruit and vegetable juices can significantly enhance the solubility, stability and bioavailability of curcumin, but the degrees of improvement are different. For instance, Cur-O exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency, chemical stability, and effective bioaccessibility than Cur-G and Cur-T. In summary, this study shows that natural fruit and vegetable juices can effectively improve the solubility, stability and bioaccessibility of active polyphenols, which is expected to enable successful designing of nutrient-enriched beverages with a simple method according to various needs of people and be directly applied to food processing and home production.

Trans-stilbene based spherical mesoporous organosilica material for loading and release of hydrophobic curcumin

In this study, a new mesoporous organosilica carrier system was synthesized in which hydrophobic trans-stilbene is placed on the walls of the drug delivery system. In this way, it is aimed to increase the interaction between hydrophobic curcumin and the silica surface and to load more curcumin into the drug delivery system. Trans-stilbene based mesoporous organosilica (TSMON) material was prepared in the reaction of (E)-1,2-bis(4-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)phenyl)ethylene (1) with tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of triblock copolymer cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a template in NaOH solution. Characterization of synthesized TSMON was done by FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM and TGA analyses. Curcumin loading into the drug delivery system TSMON was carried out by mixing curcumin and TSMON in the dark for 24 hours. After the measurements made in the UV-Vis spectrophotometer, entrapment efficiency and loading capacity for TSMON were calculated as 22% and 18.2%, respectively. Next, the time dependent release of curcumin from Cur@TSMON at physiological and endosomal pH was studied. After 5 days of UV-Vis measurements, the percentage of curcumin release from Cur@TSMON was around 1% at pH = 5 and 7.4. The low release percentage obtained indicates a strong interaction between TSMON and curcumin penetrating the pores of the TSMON. This strong interaction allowed the drug delivery system TSMON to carry 99% of the payload without leaking at pH = 5 and 7.4 without pore capping agents.

The Dual Modification of PNIPAM and β-Cyclodextrin Grafted on Hyaluronic Acid as Self-Assembled Nanogel for Curcumin Delivery.

Curcumin is an extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) which possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and wound-healing effects and has been used as an active compound in biomedical research for many years. However, its poor solubility presents challenges for its use in drug delivery systems. A modified nanogel delivery system, with PNIPAM and β-cyclodextrin grafted onto hyaluronic acid (PNCDHA), was utilized to enhance the solubility. The polymer was characterized by NMR, and the inclusion complex between curcumin and β-cyclodextrin was confirmed by FTIR. The potential of this PNCDHA polymer complex as a drug delivery vehicle was supported by a curcumin encapsulation efficiency of 93.14 ± 5.6% and the release of encapsulated curcumin at 37 °C. At a concentration of 0.5% w/v in water, PNCDHA nanogels were biocompatible with fibroblast cell line (L929) up to a curcumin concentration of 50 µM. There was a direct concentration between curcumin loading and cellular internalization. A more detailed study of the cellular internalization of PNCDHA nanogel should be considered in order to clarify cellular delivery mechanisms and to assess how its viability as a carrier may be optimized.

Potentiation of Curcumin-loaded zeolite Y nanoparticles/PCL-gelatin electrospun nanofibers for postsurgical glioblastoma treatment

Currently, localized drug delivery vehicles based on implantable electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds have attracted enormous interest in eradicating cancer cells and regenerating the tissue defects after tumor removal. In the present investigation, zeolite Y nanoparticles (nZY) were exploited to load Curcumin (Curc) as a potent natural anticancer agent. Then the synthesized Curc@nZY were integrated into a hybrid of PCL-gelatin electrospun nanofibers (Curc@nZY-PG NFs). XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, TEM, and BET were exploited to characterize the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the prepared nanoparticles and NFs. Apart from in vitro drug release testing, MTT assay, scratch assay, DAPI staining, and qPCR were applied to assess the in vitro anticancer efficiency of Curc@nZY-PG NFs against U87-MG glioblastoma cells after three days of incubation time. Based on the findings, it was found that the bead-free, randomly oriented electrospun PG NFs were loaded successfully with Curc@nZY. Also, applying nZY to load Curc into the PG NFs led to a steadier drug release over a relatively long period compared to Curc-PG NFs so that 33.5% and 47% of Curc were liberated from Curc@nZY-PG NFs within 72 h and 14 days, respectively. Besides, the cells exposed to the Curc@nZY-PG NFs exhibited superior cytotoxicity, anti-cell migratory activity, and pro-apoptotic effect against the glioblastoma cells. Therefore, it can be speculated that the development of Curc@nZY-PG composite electrospun mats might act as a highly promising and safe localized drug delivery approach for potential postsurgical glioblastoma treatment.

Preparation and Characterization of Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles of Curcumin using a Chemometric Approach

Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) has been presupposed to be a versatile protein polymer for targeted drug delivery. BSA nanoparticles can lead to passive targeting of drugs to the inflamed joint via the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect and due to their specific affinity towards the inflamed joint because of the inadequacy of protein in the affected region. Hence, the aim of the study was to develop BSA nanoparticles loading curcumin (BSA_CUR_NPs) by nanoparticle albuminbound technology and its optimization was conducted by 33 Box Behnken Design (BBD) in order to achieve the desired particle size and entrapment efficiency. Further, the optimised nanoparticles were also assessed for polydispersity index, zeta potential, total drug content, and in-vitro drug release study. The response surface plots and equations generated by BBD predicted the relationship between variables under study. The optimised formulation C12 was found to have a particle size of 207.1 ± 1.36nm, PDI of 0.138 ± 0.03, entrapment efficiency of 75.04 ± 0.06 %, total drug content of 91.40 ± 0.08% and zeta potential of -32.9mV. The optimised nanoparticles exhibited good sustained release for up to 8 days. The use of a chemometric approach led to the development of BSA_CUR_NPs with the desired characteristics with a less experimental procedure. Therefore, it presents an important model for producing the nanoparticles of the desired characteristics using albumin as a polymer for the enhanced and sustained delivery of loaded drugs to the inflamed joint.

Cell penetrating peptide modified M2 macrophage derived exosomes treat spinal cord injury and rheumatoid arthritis by loading curcumin

Effectively suppressing the hyperactivated inflammatory response is a critical strategy for treating inflammatory diseases, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Suitable anti-inflammatory drug delivery vehicles need to be continuously explored and discovered to achieve this goal. In this work, we designed M2 macrophage-derived engineered exosomes with a particle size of about 124 nm. Compared with untreated M2 macrophage-derived exosomes, cell-penetrating peptide modified primary M2 macrophage-derived exosomes can be better taken up by target cells, enabling inflammation targeting. The results of experiments in vivo also showed that after cell-penetrating peptide modification, the accumulation of exosomes at the site of inflammation was about 176% of that of unmodified ones. Experiments in SCI or RA mice also showed that primary M2 macrophage exosomes loaded with curcumin penetrating peptide modification had a more prominent ability to inhibit inflammation and improve motor function in inflammation models. Especially in promoting the repolarization of macrophages, in vitro experiments showed that under the action of curcumin loaded and R9 peptide modified M2 macrophage-derived exosomes (Cur@EXs-R9), more than 50% of macrophages were repolarized to M2-type macrophages. In conclusion, the engineered exosomes (Cur@EXs-R9) we designed, provides a new drug delivery carrier for treating inflammatory diseases.

Encapsulation behavior of curcumin in heteroprotein complex coacervates and precipitates fabricated from β-conglycinin and lysozyme

The associative phase separation of oppositely charged biopolymers produces liquid-like coacervates or solid-like precipitates, whereas the effect of the physical state difference on applications is often overlooked. This study investigated the application of complexes coacervates and precipitates fabricated from β-conglycinin (β-CG) and lysozyme (LYS) for the encapsulation of curcumin. The β-CG-LYS complexes encapsulating curcumin at charge stoichiometric ratios appeared as coacervates at pH 6 and precipitates at pH 7 and 8. The curcumin encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of these complexes reached 95% and 410–486 μg/mg. Coacervates and precipitates both significantly improved the curcumin stability when exposed to light and heat treatment. During storage, the curcumin in coacervates had an extremely long half-life value (t 1/2 ), whereas curcumin in the precipitates had a short t 1/2 . When the coacervates encapsulating curcumin adhered to the bottom of the cuvette, 35.2% of the curcumin was still retained after rinsing with ethanol 30 times. The β-CG-LYS coacervates were promising carriers to encapsulate functional molecules, which may be used as functional dressings and coatings. • Curcumin did not affect phase behavior of β-CG-LYS complex coacervation. • The encapsulation efficiency of curcumin in coacervates exceeded 95%. • The loading capacity of curcumin in coacervates exceeded 290 μg/mg. • β-CG-LYS coacervates endowed the curcumin with long-term storage stability. • β-CG-LYS coacervates have potential as functional dressings and coatings.

Fabrication of starch-based emulsion gel beads by an inverse gelation technique for loading proanthocyanidin and curcumin

In this study, large-scale emulsion gel beads were fabricated using an inverse emulsion gelation technique. Gelation was achieved by simple starch retrogradation, which enabled dual loading of proanthocyanidin and curcumin. The properties and morphologies of the fabricated emulsion gel beads were characterized by means of laser particle size analysis, rheological measurement, texture profile analysis, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The average size of the emulsion gel beads ranged from 2.8 to 5.9 mm. With the increase in the starch concentration from 9.1% to 33.3%, the hardness of the gel beads was increased 8.8-fold, from 195.31 ± 30.73 g to 1734.94 ± 155.17 g, whereas the swelling ratio of the beads showed a decreasing trend under different treatment conditions (pH range from 1.5 to 12 and temperature range from 25 to 80 °C). Increasing the starch concentration from 9.1% to 33.3% also resulted in a decrease in the release ratio of proanthocyanidins and curcumin from 68.32% to 16.66% and from 7.00% to 0.45%, respectively, after simulated gastric fluid digestion for 2 h, indicating that starch-based emulsion gel beads can tolerate the damage imposed by the gastric environment. Disruption of the starch gel network by amylase hydrolysis and digestion in simulated intestinal fluid for 4 h caused a cumulative release of proanthocyanidins and curcumin from the beads in excess of 75% and 28%, respectively. Therefore, starch-based emulsion gel beads, which combine the advantages of emulsion and hydrogel systems, are ideal carriers for loading hydrophilic and hydrophobic active ingredients.

Influence of Hydrophobic Side-Chain Length in Amphiphilic Gradient Copoly(2-oxazoline)s on the Therapeutics Loading, Stability, Cellular Uptake and Pharmacokinetics of Nano-Formulation with Curcumin.

Due to the simple one-step preparation method and a promising application in biomedical research, amphiphilic gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s are gaining more and more interest compared to their analogous block copolymers. In this work, the curcumin solubilization ability was tested for a series of amphiphilic gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s with different lengths of hydrophobic side-chains, consisting of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline as a hydrophilic monomer and 2-(4-alkyloxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline as a hydrophobic monomer. It is shown that the length of the hydrophobic side-chain in the copolymers plays a crucial role in the loading of curcumin onto the self-assembled nanoparticles. The kinetic stability of self-assembled nanoparticles studied using FRET shows a link between their integrity and cellular uptake in human glioblastoma cells. The present study demonstrates how minor changes in the molecular structure of gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s can lead to significant differences in the loading, stability, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and pharmacokinetics of nano-formulations containing curcumin. The obtained results on the behavior of the complex of gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s and curcumin may contribute to the development of effective next-generation polymeric nanostructures for biomedical applications.

Preparation and Characterizations of Curcumin Protection and Delivery System Using Linear Dextrin

In this work, linear dextrins (LDs) with the fragment F-40 (DP = 31.44) were fabricated from waxy potato starch through pasteurization and enzymatic debranching by pullulanase and then separated and extracted by ethanol solutions with different concentrations. The LDs were used to encapsulate hydrophobic ligand curcumin to develop a controlled release system that would increase its flavor in food and functions in medicines. The physicochemical properties and the encapsulation mechanism of the inclusion complexes were investigated. It was found that the loading capability for curcumin, the encapsulation rate, and the yield of the complexes depended on the molecular weight of LD. The yield of the LD-Cur complex, its encapsulation rate, and loading of curcumin were 19.86%, 25.81%, and 29.52 μg/mg, respectively, while the yield of the F-40-Cur complex, its inclusion rate, and loading curcumin reached up to 75.98%, 29.97%, and 37.52 μg/mg, respectively. There were both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions between LD and curcumin, while hydrogen bonding interactions were predominant between F-40 and curcumin. Curcumin was presented in the complex in an amorphous form. The photothermal stability of curcumin increased after being complexed with LD and further enhanced significantly with F-40. The release of curcumin in the intestine was achieved much more effectively.

Optimisation of Curcumin Microemulsions Using Palm Oil

Curcumin is a natural hydrophobic polyphenol derived from the curcuminoids of Curcuma longa. Curcumin is commonly known as turmeric and it gains the interest of scientific and clinical researchers as it exhibits great pharmacological benefits such as anti-cancer, antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Nevertheless, curcumin is still not an approved drug in clinical settings due to its poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability. Therefore, a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) was used as an approach to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. The microemulsion was devised in a pre-formulation phase using a surfactant (Tween 80), a co-surfactant (polyethylene glycol, PEG 400), a lipid phase (palm oil) and an aqueous phase (water). A ternary phase diagram was used to identify the self-microemulsifying region in a formulation. Five of these formulations (F1, F2, F4, F7 and F10) were found to be stable with no phase separation observed upon overnight storage. All of the five formulations (except F4) possessed a high percentage of transmittance (86%–100%), which signified the formation of a stable microemulsion when they were diluted in a 1:100 ratio by water. Curcumin microemulsions were formulated by loading curcumin into F1, F2, F7 and F10. Only F1 and F2 curcumin microemulsions exhibit a clear appearance, however, F7 and F10 form a turbid solution, which indicates the formation of the emulsion. The results indicated that F1 and F2 which contain a high surfactant/co-surfactant-to-oil ratio of 9:1 is optimum to formulate the curcumin microemulsions.

Impact of curcumin loading on the physicochemical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties of a methacrylate-based experimental dental resin

Oral biofilms are directly linked to one of the most common chronic human diseases, dental caries. Resin-based dental materials have significant potential to replace amalgam, however they lack sufficient antimicrobial power. This innovative study investigates a curcumin-loaded dental resin which can be utilized in an antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) approach. The study evaluated the effects of curcumin loading on resin physicochemical, mechanical, and adhesive properties, as well as the antimicrobial response associated with blue light activation. Preliminary tests involving degree of conversion (DC) and sample integrity determined the optimal loading of curcumin to be restricted to 0.05 and 0.10 wt%. These optimal loadings were tested for flexural strength (FS), water sorption (WS) and solubility (SL), shear bond strength to dentin (SBS), and viability of Streptococcus mutans under 14.6 J/cm2 blue light or dark conditions, in 6 h and 24 h biofilms. The results demonstrated that 0.10 wt% curcumin had minimal impact on either FS or SBS, but detectably increased WS and SL. A 2 log10 (CFU/mL) reduction in S. mutans after light application in both 6 h and 24 h biofilms were corroborated by CLSM imaging and highlighted the significant potential of this novel aPDT approach with resin-based dental materials.

Curcumin encapsulation in capsules and fibers of potato starch by electrospraying and electrospinning: Thermal resistance and antioxidant activity

The aim of this work was to encapsulate curcumin at different concentrations in capsules and fibers of native potato starch by electrospraying and electrospinning. The best conditions for the production of capsules and fibers were obtained by varying the polymer concentration and resting time of the polymer solution. The best conditions were used for the encapsulation of curcumin. The curcumin-loaded capsules and fibers had an average diameter of 1373 nm to 1787 nm and 108 nm to 142 nm, respectively, and had a high curcumin loading capacity with values ranging from 79.01 % to 97.09 %. Curcumin encapsulated in starch capsules and fibers showed higher thermal stability at 180 °C for 2 h compared to unencapsulated curcumin. The antioxidant activity of starch fibers containing 1 % of curcumin had the greatest ability to inhibit the ABTS radical (45 % inhibition). These materials are promising for use in food or active packaging.

Preparation of nano-composites based on curcumin/chitosan-PVA-alginate to improve stability, antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activity of curcumin

Curcumin (Cur) has been extensively used as an alternative therapeutic agent for various diseases, including cancer, because of its anti-cancer and antioxidant properties. In this study, we have synthesized nanocomposites from a combination of Chitosan (CS), sodium alginate (ALG), and Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for drug delivery. Then, Curcumin was encapsulated into the nanocomposites and characterized by FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, and XRD. The encapsulated Cur showed a desirable loading efficiency with the curcumin loading efficiency on all nanocarriers in the range of 59.00 to 93.00 %. and more stability with a slower and more controllable release rate with a gradually increase up to 58 %. in the release rate than free Cur. Further, the encapsulated Cur showed a higher antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity than free Cur. According to the results, the maximum inhibition for the albumin denaturation (83.59 %), maximum antioxidant activity (85.79 %) and the highest TPC content of 23.68 mg GAE/100 g was found in Cur/Cs-ALG-PVA. Besides, Cur-loaded nanocomposites indicated specific toxicity to cancer cells and also Cur/Cs-ALG-PVA nanocomposite has a greater anti-cancer effect than the other nanocomplexes and cell viability decreased to 25 %, raising the probability of curing gastric cancer cells (AGS). So, it is concluded that the simultaneous use of three biopolymers CS and ALG and PVA, would be synergistically enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of Curcumin. In conclusion, the novel nanocomposite of Cur/ CS-ALG-PVA provides an efficient strategy and a promising candidate for biomedical applications and drug delivery systems to treat various diseases especially inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Curcumin and Paclitaxel Co-loaded Heparin and Poloxamer P403 Hybrid Nanocarrier for Improved Synergistic Efficacy in Breast Cancer.

Multi-drug nanosystem has been employed in several therapeutic models due to the synergistic effect of the drugs and/or bioactive compounds, which help in tumor targeting and limit the usual side effects of chemotherapy. In this research, we developed the amphiphilic Heparin-poloxamer P403 (HSP) nanogel that could load curcumin (CUR) and Paclitaxel (PTX) through the hydrophobic core of Poloxamer P403. The features of HSP nanogel were assessed through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential light scattering (DLS), and critical micelle concentration (CMC). Nanogel and its dual drug-loaded platform showed high stability and spherical morphology. The drug release profile indicated fast release at pH 5.5, suggesting effective drug distribution at the tumor site. In vitro research confirms lower cytotoxicity of HSP@CUR@PTX compared to free PTX and higher inhibition effect with MCF-7 than HSP@PTX. These results support the synergism between PTX and CUR. HSP@CUR@PTX suggests a prominent strategy for achieving the synergistic effect of PTX and CUR to circumvent undesirable effects in breast cancer treatment.

Magnetic Porous Silica-lipid Bilayer Hybrid Carriers for Target Delivery of Curcumin

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with embedded magnetic particles and sizes around 80 nm were prepared. Curcumin loading in mesoporous silica was realized by a post-synthesis impregnation procedure. The loaded particles were additionally modified by surface coating with a phospholipid bilayer of a thickness of around 5 nm changing the surface charge of the carrier from negative to positive, which enables the efficient attachment to cells, increasing the probability of cellular uptake. The non-loaded, curcumin loaded and their surface-coated counterparts were characterized by XRD, N2 physisorption, thermal analysis, TEM, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Release experiments were performed and demonstrated that the phospholipid coating contributed greatly a sustained drug release to be achieved. A comparative study on the antiproliferative effect of curcumin loaded into the mesoporous carrier and lipid-coated vs. free drug was performed on a panel of three human cell lines. On the basis of the obtained results, it can be concluded that obtained hybrid magnetic silica-lipid particles are promising carriers of curcumin.

Curcumin loaded polycaprolactone scaffold capable of anti-inflammation to enhance tracheal cartilage regeneration

An inflammatory reaction is one of the primary reasons for deteriorating tracheal cartilage regeneration in vivo, hindering tracheal defect restoration with prominent fibrosis and granulation hyperplasia. Therefore, effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies may considerably promote tracheal cartilage regeneration and tracheal defect restoration. We prepared a porous ring-shaped Cur/PCL scaffold by loading curcumin (Cur), an anti-inflammatory compound, into polycaprolactone (PCL) using the supercritical CO2 foaming method. Our results confirmed that the Cur/PCL possessed similar porosity with the PCL alone scaffold. The Cur loaded within the Cur/PCL scaffold exhibited sustained release kinetics, stability and a favorable anti-inflammation property in vitro. Moreover, The Cur/PCL scaffold displayed gratifying biocompatibility and supported ring-shaped tracheal cartilage regeneration. In addition, the engineered ring-shaped tracheal cartilage in the Cur/PCL group showed a potent anti-inflammatory effect on maintaining the cartilaginous phenotype and enhanced tracheal cartilage regeneration when subcutaneously implanted into an autologous rabbit. Furthermore, the engineered cartilage in the Cur/PCL group exerted a favorable anti-inflammatory capacity to significantly suppress fibrogenesis and granulation hyperplasia, enhancing tracheal cartilage regeneration and elevating survival rate of experimental rabbits after orthotopic transplantation. This study provides an effective strategy to prepare an anti-inflammatory scaffold for enhancing cartilage regeneration in vivo and repairing tracheal cartilage defects.

Bifunctional core-shell structure NaA zeolite@mesoporous-silica/curcumin nanocomplexes for removing heavy metals and reduction of Cadmium-induced damage

Heavy metals had been reported to bioaccumulate in many organs and adversely affect the functions of these organs. Therefore, it was of great significance to develop bifunctional drug carrier, which could remove heavy metals and load curcumin with multiple protective properties. Newly designed drug carrier combining a core of NaA zeolite and a mesoporous silica (MS) shell has been developed, which the core is used to remove heavy metals, the outer shell loads drugs, and explore the dual functions. In this work, Curcumin-loaded on an amino modified NaA@MS-0.2 (NaA@MS-0.2-N-Cur) are 220 nm sized and have a mesoporous silica shell of 30 nm thickness. The cumulative drug release from NaA@MS-0.2-N-Cur were 14.1 and 43.0% in pH 7.4 and pH 1.2 PBS. NaA@MS-0.2-N-Cur released in 100 mL of pH 1.2 PBS containing 100 mg/L Cd2+, the cumulative drug release rate was 43.9%, the sorption rate of Cd2+ was 79.7%, and the sorption capacity of Cd2+ was 109.5 mg/g. Taken together, these results suggested that core-shell structure nanocomplexes are bifunctional and its cumulative drug release rate increased in pH 1.2 PBS. And this drug carrier has great potential for protecting the body from damage for heavy metal.

Studying the properties of polymer-lipid nanostructures: The role of the host lipid

The goal of the present investigation is to prepare polymer-grafted hybrid liposomes using phospholipids with different main transition temperature (Tm). In more detail, liposomes were prepared by the combination of three different lipids, having different transition temperatures, namely 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) with the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PLMA). The physicochemical characteristics of the prepared hybrid liposomes were evaluated by light scattering and their morphology by cryo-TEM. Their thermotropic behavior was characterized by mDSC and high-resolution ultrasound spectroscopy, while their microenvironmental parameters were attained by fluorescence spectroscopy. Subsequently, in vitro nanotoxicity studies have taken place. The studies indicate that PDMAEMA-b-PLMA was encapsulated in the liposomal membrane, leading size, and shape characteristics, as well as biosafety profile, strictly affected by the formulation's parameters, namely the lipid type and the polymer concentration. Thermal analysis confirmed the different interactions taking place between the polymer and the different lipids. The obtained results show that the aqueous heat method can be successfully used for lipid-polymer hybrid structures, containing lipids with a wide range of transition temperatures. These systems can also load curcumin, which was used as model active substance.

Synthesis of N, N, N-trimethyl chitosan-based nanospheres for the prolonged release of curcumin

It is critical to develop a hydrophilic drug carrier with positive charge on the surface to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin to overcome the tissue barrier, e.g., blood brain barrier. In this paper, a quaternized chitosan derivative, N,N,N-Trimethyl Chitosan (TMC) was produced which is a cationic polysaccharide. Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) have been used to verify the synthesis of TMC. A simple nanoemulsion process has been developed to produce TMC-based nanosphere to load curcumin. A high encapsulation efficiency (over 90%) can be observed. The average particle size of nanospheres made of TMC with 2.5 mg/mL and 4.0 mg/ mL is estimated at 555.3±117.7 nm and 771.2±123.2 nm, respectively. The effect of the concentrations of TMC on the release profile has been investigated. It is found that nanospheres made of a higher concentration of TMC, 4.0 mg/mL, could lead to an extended release of curcumin, and the first-order release kinetics can be observed when release time increases from 0 to 265 h. The release kinetics of curcumin loaded in TMC nanospheres is also influenced by pH value. In addition, the cytotoxicity study shows that no toxic effect can be found when cells are treated with synthetic TMC. The relative cell viability of mouse cardiac endothelial cells treated with curcumin loaded TMC nanospheres is higher than that when cells treated with curcumin alone.