Preparation, characterization and antioxidant properties of curcumin encapsulated chitosan/lignosulfonate micelles

The Impact of the Oil Phase Selection on Physicochemical Properties, Long-Term Stability, In Vitro Performance and Injectability of Curcumin-Loaded PEGylated Nanoemulsions

A nanotechnology-based approach to drug delivery presents one of the biggest trends in biomedical science that can provide increased active concentration, bioavailability, and safety compared to conventional drug-delivery systems. Nanoemulsions stand out amongst other nanocarriers for being biodegradable, biocompatible, and relatively easy to manufacture. For improved drug-delivery properties, longer circulation for the nanoemulsion droplets should be provided, to allow the active to reach the target site. One of the strategies used for this purpose is PEGylation. The aim of this research was assessing the impact of the oil phase selection, soybean or fish oil mixtures with medium chain triglycerides, on the physicochemical characteristics and injectability of curcumin-loaded PEGylated nanoemulsions. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated the structural impact of the oil phase on the stabilizing layer of nanoemulsions, with a more pronounced stabilizing effect of curcumin observed in the fish oil nanoemulsion compared to the soybean oil one. The design of the experiment study, employed to simultaneously assess the impact of the oil phase, different PEGylated phospholipids and their concentrations, as well as the presence of curcumin, showed that not only the investigated factors alone, but also their interactions, had a significant influence on the critical quality attributes of the PEGylated nanoemulsions. Detailed physicochemical characterization of the NEs found all formulations were appropriate for parenteral administration and remained stable during two years of storage, with the preserved antioxidant activity demonstrated by DPPH and FRAP assays. In vitro release studies showed a more pronounced release of curcumin from the fish oil NEs compared to that from the soybean oil ones. The innovative in vitro injectability assessment, designed to mimic intravenous application, proved that all formulations tested in selected experimental setting could be employed in prospective in vivo studies. Overall, the current study shows the importance of oil phase selection when formulating PEGylated nanoemulsions.

Advanced Coatings with Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity for Kumquat Preservation

An active coating is one of the best ways to maintain the good quality and sensory properties of fruits. A new active coating was prepared by incorporating curcumin and phloretin into the konjac glucomannan matrix (KGM-Cur-Phl). The fourier infrared spectroscopy, rheology and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the successful fabrication of this coating. This coating showed excellent antioxidant activity revealed by the 95.03% of ABTS radicals scavenging ratio and 99.67% of DPPH radicals scavenging ratio. The result of bacteria growth curves showed that it could effectively inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium. The results of firmness, titratable acid and pH showed that it effectively prolonged the shelf life of kumquat. A novel konjac glucomannan-based active coating was provided.

Recent advances in nanogold as a promising nanocarrier for curcumin delivery

Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound that has promising therapeutic benefits. However, curcumin suffers from low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability following oral administration, which are severe constraints to its full therapeutic potential. An exciting approach to resolving such challenges has been to incorporate curcumin into gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to improve its unfavorable physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties. Growing evidence shows that AuNPs increase cytotoxicity and apoptotic effect of curcumin on cancer cells. Moreover, AuNPs has the potential to enhance curcumin's cellular uptake and antioxidant properties. In addition, numerous benefits have been suggested for exploiting the curcumin's gold (Au) NPs as simple preparation and functionalization. Therefore, we can take advantage of the nanogold combination with curcumin in several therapeutic methods like photothermal therapy and theranostic nanocarrier. Here, we focus on the therapeutic properties of Au/curcumin NPs and the way to improve biocompatibility and bioavailability for curcumin encapsulation, intending to enhance their anticancer and antioxidant capacities. The present review also discusses the utilization and impact of Au NPs as a drug/gene delivery system/platform and various methods for the synthesis of Au/curcumin NPs.

Green synthesis of sodium lignosulfonate nanoparticles using chitosan for significantly enhanced multifunctional characteristics

Nanoparticles of green materials have gained enormous interest due to their broad range of applications in several disciplines since they have significantly improved multifunctional activities. This article attempts a sustainable green approach to synthesize sodium lignosulfonate nanoparticles (SLS NPs) using another biomolecule, i.e., chitosan. The synthesized SLS NPs (with an average diameter of ~125 nm to 129 nm) have demonstrated synergetic efficacy by exhibiting outstanding multifunctional properties due to the presence of two types of biomolecules (i.e., lignosulfonate as well as chitosan) in their structure. The synthesized SLS NPs have bestowed excellent antibacterial activity against both the Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria. Moreover, SLS NPs have displayed ~92% antioxidant property. Having polyphenolic entities in the structure of SLS NPs, they have shown UV-visible absorption peak at 224 nm, which directly indicates that they can act as an outstanding UV protective agent which has also been proven experimentally.

Liposome-based nanocapsules for the controlled release of dietary curcumin: PDDA and silica nanoparticle-coated DMPC liposomes enhance the fluorescence efficiency and anticancer activity of curcumin

Nanosystems with various compositions and biological properties are being extensively investigated for drug and gene delivery applications. Many nanotechnology methods use novel nanocarriers, such as liposomes, in therapeutically targeted drug delivery systems. However, liposome matrices suffer from several limitations, including drug leakage and instability. Therefore, the surface modification of liposomes by coating them or adding polymers has advanced their application in drug delivery. Hence, the prevention of drug release from the liposome bilayers was the main focus of this work. For this purpose, liposomes were synthesized according to a thin film hydration method by applying various surface modifications. Three different nanocapsules, N1, N2, and N3, were prepared using 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), poly(diallyldimethylammonium)chloride (PDAA) polymer, and silica nanoparticles. PDDA and silica nanoparticles were coated on the surface of liposomes using a layer-by-layer assembly method, completely encapsulating curcumin into the core of the liposome. Fluorescence spectroscopy, TGA, DLS, XRD, SEM, and zeta potential methods were used to characterize the prepared nanocapsules. Interestingly, the fluorescence of curcumin showed a blue shift and the fluorescence efficiency was extraordinarily enhanced ∼25-, ∼54-, and ∼62-fold in the N1, N2, and N3 nanocapsules, respectively. Similarly, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, and the anticancer activity of dietary curcumin were investigated for the different types of DMPC nanocapsules. The drug efficiencies of the liposomes were established according to the release of curcumin from the liposomes. The results showed that the release of curcumin from the nanocapsules decreased as the number of layers at the surface of the liposomes increased. The release of curcumin follows the Higuchi model; thus, a slow rate of diffusion is observed when a number of layers is added. The better encapsulation and higher anti-cancer activity of curcumin were also observed when more layers were added, which is due to electrostatic interactions inhibiting curcumin from being released.

Nanosystems with various compositions and biological properties are being extensively investigated for drug and gene delivery applications.