Multifunctional curcumin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles for cancer chemoprevention and therapy

This study aims to synthesize smart mesoporous silica nanocarrier for curcumin (Cur) as a nutraceutical anticancer agent. Multifunctional PEG-MSNPs-Cur were synthesized to enhance curcumin bioavailability for the purpose of preventing and treating cancer. It can also serve as auto-fluorescence probe for molecular imaging (image guided therapy). The prepared nanocarrier has been characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. In vitro, the antitumor activity of PEG-MSNPs-Cur and Cur was investigated on two human cancer cell lines: liver cancer (HepG2) and cervical cancer (HeLa). Compared with free-Cur, PEG-MSNPs-Cur showed higher cellular uptake and significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 and HeLa cells. Furthermore, PEG-MSNPs-Cur-treated HepG2 cells exhibited marked cell cycle arrest at G2/M compared to free-Cur-treated cells. In vivo, cancer chemoprevention and therapeutic efficacy of PEG-MSNPs-Cur as well as Cur, have been evaluated using two treatment protocols: Tumor Chemoprevention Protocol (TCP) and Tumor Reduction Protocol (TRP). The results demonstrated that TCP exhibited high therapeutic efficacy over TRP. The toxicity of PEG-MSNPs-Cur were assessed by serum biochemical analysis and histopathological examination for certain vital body organs to address the biosafety issue of PEG-MSNPs-Cur. The integrated results indicated that smart multifunctional MSNPs greatly enhanced curcumin bioavailability. PEG-MSNPs-Cur offered pH-triggered drug release in an acidic pH (tumor microenvironment). Additionally, PEG-MSNPs-Cur is utilized as self-fluorescence probe that allow their tracing in the cells without the need of dyes. PEG-MSNPs-Cur could be effectively used as a safe chemopreventive and therapeutic agent.