pH-driven self-assembly of alcohol-free curcumin-loaded propylene glycol alginate nanoparticles

Int J Biol Macromol. 2022 Jan 15:195:302-308. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.12.025. Epub 2021 Dec 14.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to explore the application of propylene glycol alginate (PGA) alone in alcohol-free curcumin-loaded nanoparticles (PGA/Cur) prepared by a pH-driven method to solve the curcumin shortcomings of low water solubility, stability and bioavailability. One of the bright spots of PGA/Cur was its extremely high loading capacity. PGA/Cur formed a spherical structure mainly by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding, making curcumin amorphous. PGA/Cur exhibited stability at pH 4.0-8.0 due to its high surface charges. PGA/Cur still showed a unimodal size distribution even under 3000 mM ionic strength. Heating caused uneven size distribution, but the smaller size still presented its thermostability. PGA/Cur exhibited good physical stability and slowed down the curcumin degradation with t1/2 of 37.47 days during storage. PGA/Cur could maintain structural integrity in gastric acid and released curcumin in the intestine, thus improving the bioaccessibility of curcumin. Additionally, PGA/Cur displayed the solubilization after lyophilization.

Keywords: Nanoparticles; Propylene glycol alginate; pH-driven self-assembly.

MeSH terms

  • Alginates / chemistry*
  • Biological Availability
  • Curcumin / administration & dosage
  • Curcumin / pharmacology*
  • Drug Carriers
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Osmolar Concentration
  • Particle Size
  • Solubility
  • Zein / chemistry

Substances

  • Alginates
  • Drug Carriers
  • propylene glycol alginate ester
  • Zein
  • Curcumin