Curcumin Encapsulated Casein Nanoparticles: Enhanced Bioavailability and Anticancer Efficacy

The poorwater solubilityand bioactivity of drugs can be potentially improved by using suitable nanocarriers. Herein, an economically viable methodology is developed for encapsulation of hydrophobic anticancer agent, curcumin in casein nanoparticles (CasNPs). The successful encapsulation of curcumin was evident from the structural, thermal and spectroscopic analysis of curcumin encapsulated CasNPs (Cur-CasNPs). The CasNPs and Cur-CasNPs samples were lyophilized for their long-term stability and lyophilized powders are found to be stable for more than 6 months at 4-8 degrees C. From DLS studies, it has been observed that the variation in average size of drug formulations before and after reconstitution were less than 5%. Further, it shows good water-dispersibility, enhanced bioavailability and pH dependent charge conversal feature. Cur-CasNPs showed pH dependent release characteristics with higher at mild acidic environment and enhanced toxicity towards cancer cells (MCF-7) ascompared to normal cells (CHO). Moreover, the CasNPs are non-toxic in nature and the developed nanoformulation of drug exhibits substantial cellular internalization and enhanced toxicity towards MCF-7 cells over pure drug, indicating their potential applications. (c) 2021 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

An economically viable methodology was developed for encapsulating hydrophobic anticancer agent curcumin in casein nanoparticles, which showed good stability, water dispersibility, enhanced bioavailability, and pH dependent charge conversion. The nanoparticles exhibited pH dependent release characteristics, with higher toxicity towards cancer cells and substantial cellular internalization compared to normal cells, indicating their potential applications in cancer treatment.