Targeted delivery of curcumin in breast cancer cells via hyaluronic acid modified mesoporous silica nanoparticle to enhance anticancer efficiency

Curcumin (C) is a natural antioxidant which has many beneficial effects. However, poor bioavailability and less water solubility render it unsuitable as an anti-cancer drug. Herein, curcumin was delivered through Mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) based drug delivery system to enhance its anticancer efficacy. Targeted delivery of curcumin in cancer cells was also achieved by conjugating hyaluronic acid (HA) on the surface of MSN. HA showed its targeting ability through the binding with CD-44 receptors in cancer cells. The synthesis of MSN-HA-C was verified by used several characterization techniques like TEM, SEM, XRD and DLS. MSN-HA-C showed diameter of similar to 75 nm with negatively charged surface and drug loading content of 14.76 %. The synthesized nanohybrid showed MDA-MB-231 cell death by the induction of ROS, cell cycle arrest and modulation of NF-kappa B and Bax mediated apoptotic pathway. The nanohybrid also effectually decreased tumor volume in tumor-bearing mice compared with free C due to the increased bioavailability and higher cellular uptake of C in tumor tissue. Overall, the study offered that MSN-HA-C has increased anticancer efficacy than that of free curcumin.

Automated summary

Curcumin, a natural antioxidant, was delivered through Mesoporous silica nanoparticles to enhance its anticancer efficacy by targeting cancer cells with hyaluronic acid. The synthesized nanohybrid showed cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells and decreased tumor volume in tumor-bearing mice by inducing ROS, cell cycle arrest, and modulation of apoptotic pathways. Overall, the study found that the nanohybrid had increased anticancer efficacy compared to free curcumin.