Development and characterization of electrosprayed nanoparticles for encapsulation of Curcumin

Curcumin has been proven to be an effective herbal derived anti-inflammatory and antioxidant biocompatible agent. In this research, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (as a biocompatible and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) polymer) nanoparticles containing Curcumin were electrosprayed from different polymeric solutions with different concentrations for the first time. Morphology of these nanoparticles in the absence/presence of Curcumin was evaluated by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Perfectly shaped nanoparticles with an average size of 300 and 320 nm were observed for neat and Curcumin-loaded PLGA, respectively. Curcumin-loaded electrosprayed nanoparticles showed a normal moderate initial burst and then a prolonged release period. Weibull, Peppas, and modified Korsmeyer-Peppas models were applied to study the kinetic and mechanism of Curcumin release from PLGA nanoparticles. Results showed high specific surface area and spherical geometry of the nanoparticles. Effectiveness of the electrospray method as a promising technique for preparing Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles was confirmed in this study. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 285-292, 2018.