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Abstract
Background
Recent studies report curcumin nanoformulation(s) based on polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), β-cyclodextrin, cellulose, nanogel, and dendrimers to have anticancer potential. However, no comparative data are currently available for the interaction of curcumin nanoformulations with blood proteins and erythrocytes. The objective of this study was to examine the interaction of curcumin nanoformulations with cancer cells, serum proteins, and human red blood cells, and to assess their potential application for in vivo preclinical and clinical studies.
Methods
The cellular uptake of curcumin nanoformulations was assessed by measuring curcumin levels in cancer cells using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. Protein interaction studies were conducted using particle size analysis, zeta potential, and Western blot techniques. Curcumin nanoformulations were incubated with human red blood cells to evaluate their acute toxicity and hemocompatibility.
Results
Cellular uptake of curcumin nanoformulations by cancer cells demonstrated preferential uptake versus free curcumin. Particle sizes and zeta potentials of curucumin nanoformulations were varied after human serum albumin adsorption. A remarkable capacity of the dendrimer curcumin nanoformulation to bind to plasma protein was observed, while the other formulations showed minimal binding capacity. Dendrimer curcumin nanoformulations also showed higher toxicity to red blood cells compared with the other curcumin nanoformulations.
Conclusion
PLGA and nanogel curcumin nanoformulations appear to be very compatible with erythrocytes and have low serum protein binding characteristics, which suggests that they may be suitable for application in the treatment of malignancy. These findings advance our understanding of the characteristics of curcumin nanoformulations, a necessary component in harnessing and implementing improved in vivo effects of curcumin.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Cathy Christopherson and Jenna Hultgren for editorial assistance, Amber Kruse and Hillary Newby for maintenance of the cell cultures, and Robert Japs for his help with transmission electron microscopy characterization. The authors are also grateful to Susan Puumala and Ashley Miller, Methodology and Data Analysis Center, for statistical analyses. This work was partially supported by grants from Department of Defense (PC073887, PC073643), Governor’s Cancer 2010, the National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant Program (RO1) (CA142736), and the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (P20 RR024219).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.