Characterization of CurcuEmulsomes: nanoformulation for enhanced solubility anddelivery of curcumin

• Published in: Journal of nanobiotechnology 2013-12, Vol.11 (1)
• Main Authors: Ucisik, Mehmet H, Küpcü, Seta, Schuster, Bernhard, Sleytr, Uwe B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Drug delivery systems; Drugs; Health aspects; Methods; Nanoparticles; Turmeric; Vehicles
• ISSN: 1477-3155; 1477-3155
• DOI: 10.1186/1477-3155-11-37

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound isolated from the rhizomes of the plantCurcuma longa and shows intrinsic anti-cancer properties. Its medical useremains limited due to its extremely low water solubility andbioavailability. Addressing this problem, drug delivery systems accompaniedby nanoparticle technology have emerged. The present study introduces anovel nanocarrier system, so-called CurcuEmulsomes, where curcumin isencapsulated inside the solid core of emulsomes. CurcuEmulsomes are spherical solid nanoparticles with an average size of286 nm and a zeta potential of 37 mV. Encapsulation increases thebioavailability of curcumin by up to 10,000 fold corresponding to aconcentration of 0.11 mg/mL. Uptaken by HepG2 human liver carcinomacell line, CurcuEmulsomes show a significantly prolonged biological activityand demonstrated therapeutic efficacy comparable to free curcumin againstHepG2 in vitro - with a delay in response, as assessed by cellviability, apoptosis and cell cycle studies. The delay is attributed to thesolid character of the nanocarrier prolonging the release of curcumin insidethe HepG2 cells. Incorporation of curcumin into emulsomes results in water-soluble and stableCurcuEmulsome nanoformulations. CurcuEmulsomes do not only successfullyfacilitate the delivery of curcumin into the cell in vitro, butalso enable curcumin to reach its effective concentrations inside the cell.The enhanced solubility of curcumin and the promising in vitroefficacy of CurcuEmulsomes highlight the potential of the system for thedelivery of lipophilic drugs. Moreover, high degree of compatibility,prolonged release profile and tailoring properties feature CurcuEmulsomesfor further therapeutic applications in vivo.