Synthesis, characterization and biological activities of curcumin nanospheres

Curcumin is one of the most versatile compounds obtained from Curcuma longa. The major obstacle in the therapeutic use of curcumin is its aqueous solubility. To enhance its aqueous solubility and biological activities, we prepared curcumin nanospheres (CNSs) by wet milling-solvent evaporation technique without any surfactants. In this study, we have focused on the synthesis, characterization and biological effects of CNSs. DLS and SEM analyses showed 50-80 nm spherical shaped CNSs with a zeta potential of -31.65 mV. FTIR revealed that there were no structural changes to CNSs. Antibacterial and antifungal studies proved that CNSs were much more effective than curcumin against Escherichia coil, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Antioxidant activity of CNSs showed promising result for therapeutic applications. The in vitro anti-inflammatory studies proved that CNSs possessed enhanced anti-inflammatory effect against protein denaturation. Cytotoxicity and uptake of CNSs showed more toxicity on cancer cells (T47D, MG63, A375) sparing normal HDF and IEC cell lines. Skin permeation studies showed CNSs retained at different layers of pig skin. These results give clear evidence for their use against microbial and fungal skin infections as well as cancer treatment.