Encapsulating curcumin in ethylene diamine-β-cyclodextrin nanoparticle improves topical cornea delivery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmic drug delivery
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Curcumin's antioxidant properties are hindered by poor solubility and stability for ocular use.
• Beta-cyclodextrin can complex lipophilic drugs, improving delivery.
• Ethylene diamine (EDA) modification of beta-cyclodextrin may enhance curcumin's ocular bioavailability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize EDA-modified beta-cyclodextrin for curcumin complexation.
• To evaluate the efficacy of EDA-beta-cyclodextrin as a carrier for ocular curcumin delivery.
• To assess the impact of EDA modification on curcumin's solubility, stability, corneal penetration, and biocompatibility.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ethylene diamine (EDA)-modified beta-cyclodextrin.
• Curcumin complexation using solvent evaporation method.
• Characterization via FT-IR, XRD, TEM, van't Hoff plots, and phase solubility diagrams.
• In vitro corneal penetration studies using porcine corneas.
• In vitro cytotoxicity assessment using bovine corneal epithelial cells.

Main Results:

• EDA-beta-cyclodextrin demonstrated superior thermodynamic stability and complex yield compared to unmodified beta-cyclodextrin.
• Curcumin-EDA-beta-cyclodextrin nanoparticles exhibited enhanced aqueous solubility and storage stability.
• Nanoparticles showed improved in vitro corneal penetration and cumulative flux.
• Enhanced biocompatibility was observed in histological and cell viability studies.

Conclusions:

• EDA modification significantly improves beta-cyclodextrin's ability to complex curcumin for ocular delivery.
• EDA-beta-cyclodextrin nanoparticles offer enhanced curcumin solubility, stability, corneal permeability, and biocompatibility.
• This modified cyclodextrin carrier holds promise for improving the clinical efficacy of curcumin in ophthalmic applications.