Dual-functional liposomes for curcumin delivery and accelerating silk fibroin hydrogel formation

• Published in: International journal of pharmaceutics 2020-11, Vol.589, p.119844-119844, Article 119844
• Main Authors: Laomeephol, Chavee, Ferreira, Helena, Kanokpanont, Sorada, Neves, Nuno M., Kobayashi, Hisatoshi, Damrongsakkul, Siriporn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticancer; Curcumin; Hydrogel; Liposome; Silk fibroin
• ISSN: 0378-5173; 1873-3476
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119844

[Display omitted] •DMPG-based liposomes for silk fibroin rapid gelation and curcumin delivery.•Tunable gel time from 3 min to 6 h by varying liposome composition.•Liposomes preserve curcumin activities and control release from hydrogels.•Inhibit the growth of cells contacted to liposome-silk fibroin hydrogels.•An injectable filler suitable for tumor recurrence and metastasis prevention. The administration of a drug-loaded implantable hydrogel at the tumor site after surgical resection is a viable approach to prevent the local recurrence or metastasis. Dimyristoyl glycerophosphorylglycerol (DMPG)-based liposomes were developed for inducing the rapid gelation of silk fibroin (SF) and delivering an anticancer drug, curcumin. Curcumin was loaded in the liposomes and the stability of curcumin was enhanced. The gelation time of liposome-induced SF hydrogels ranged from 3 min to more than 6 h. The biological activity of liposome-SF hydrogels was evaluated in vitro using L929 fibroblasts and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The release of curcumin can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Both cells cultured on the surface of the hydrogels loaded with curcumin displayed low cell survival due to the combination of low cell attachment and cytotoxicity of curcumin. Liposome-SF hydrogels show potential as a sealant administered at the tumor site to eliminate residual cancer cells after tumor removal.