Development and evaluation of co-formulated docetaxel and curcumin biodegradable nanoparticles for parenteral administration

Abstract

Context: Technology for development of biodegradable nanoparticles encapsulating combinations for enhanced efficacy.

Objective: To develop docetaxel (DTX) and curcumin (CRM) co-encapsulated biodegradable nanoparticles for parenteral administration with potential for prolonged release and decreased toxicity.

Materials and methods: Modified emulsion solvent-evaporation technique was employed in the preparation of the nanoparticles optimized by the face centered-central composite design (FC-CCD). The uptake potential was studied in MCF-7 cells, while the toxicity was evaluated by in vitro hemolysis test. In vivo pharmacokinetic was evaluated in male Wistar rats.

Results and discussion: Co-encapsulated nanoparticles were developed of 219 nm size, 0.154 PDI, −13.74 mV zeta potential and 67.02% entrapment efficiency. Efficient uptake was observed by the nanoparticles in MCF-7 cells with decreased toxicity in comparison with the commercial DTX intravenous injection, Taxotere®. The nanoparticles exhibited biphasic release with initial burst release followed by sustained release for 5 days. The nanoparticles displayed a 4.3-fold increase in AUC (391.10 ± 32.94 versus 89.77 ± 10.58 μg/ml min) in comparison to Taxotere® with a 6.2-fold increase in MRT (24.78 ± 2.36 versus 3.58 ± 0.21 h).

Conclusion: The nanoparticles exhibited increased uptake, prolonged in vitro and in vivo release, with decreased toxicity thus exhibiting potential for enhanced efficacy.

• Biodegradable nanoparticles
• co-encapsulation
• curcumin
• docetaxel
• face-centered design
• prolonged release

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Mr. Rajdeo Kumar for technical assistance and all staffs of Central Instrumental Laboratory (CIL), NIPER, Mohali. Also, the authors would like to express their gratitude to Mr. Ashok Kumar Datusalia, Piyush Dave, Prashant Gupta and Vaibhav Dhavale for their kind help and support.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.