Curcumin-incorporated albumin nanoparticles and its tumor image

• Published in: Nanotechnology 2015-01, Vol.26 (4), p.045603-045603
• Main Authors: Gong, Guangming, Pan, Qinqin, Wang, Kaikai, Wu, Rongchun, Sun, Yong, Lu, Ying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: albumin; Albumins; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Assembly; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Chemotherapy; curcumin; Curcumin - chemistry; Curcumin - therapeutic use; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drugs; Humans; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Imaging; MCF-7 Cells; Mercaptoethanol - analogs & derivatives; Mercaptoethanol - therapeutic use; Mice, Inbred ICR; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - therapeutic use; Nanoparticles - ultrastructure; Nanostructure; Particle Size; self-assembly; Serum Albumin - chemistry; Serum Albumin - therapeutic use; Tumors
• ISSN: 0957-4484; 1361-6528
• DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/26/4/045603

Albumin is an ideal carrier for hydrophobic drugs. This paper reports a facile route to develop human serum albumin (HSA)-curcumin (CCM) nanoparticles, in which β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) acted as an inducer and CCM acted as a bridge. Fluorescence quenching and conformational changes in HSA-CCM nanoparticles occurred during assembly. Disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions may play a key role in assembly. HSA-CCM nanoparticles were about 130 nm in size, and the solubility of CCM increased by more than 500 times. The HSA-CCM nanoparticles could accumulate at the cytoplasm of tumor cells and target the tumor tissues. Therefore, HSA nanoparticles fabricated by β-ME denaturation are promising nanocarriers for hydrophobic substances from chemotherapy drugs to imaging probes.