Nanoparticles Containing Curcumin Useful for Suppressing Macrophages In Vivo in Mice

PLoS One. 2015 Sep 11;10(9):e0137207. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137207. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

To explore a novel method using liposomes to suppress macrophages, we screened food constituents through cell culture assays. Curcumin was one of the strongest compounds exhibiting suppressive effects on macrophages. We subsequently tried various methods to prepare liposomal curcumin, and eventually succeeded in preparing liposomes with sufficient amounts of curcumin to suppress macrophages by incorporating a complex of curcumin and bovine serum albumin. The diameter of the resultant nanoparticles, the liposomes containing curcumin, ranged from 60 to 100 nm. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that after intraperitoneal administration of the liposomes containing curcumin into mice, these were incorporated mainly by macrophages positive for F4/80, CD36, and CD11b antigens. Peritoneal cells prepared from mice injected in vivo with the liposomes containing curcumin apparently decreased interleukin-6-producing activities. Major changes in body weight and survival rates in the mice were not observed after administrating the liposomes containing curcumin. These results indicate that the liposomes containing curcumin are safe and useful for the selective suppression of macrophages in vivo in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Surface / metabolism
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Curcumin / administration & dosage*
  • Curcumin / adverse effects
  • Female
  • Food Analysis
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Interleukin-6 / biosynthesis
  • Liposomes
  • Macrophages / drug effects*
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Macrophages, Peritoneal / drug effects
  • Macrophages, Peritoneal / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Nanoparticles*

Substances

  • Antigens, Surface
  • Interleukin-6
  • Liposomes
  • Curcumin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Senri Kinran University, Katayama Chemical Industries, Co., Ltd., and JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 23500941 (http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors CA, HM, SI and MA but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.