Chitosan coordination driven self-assembly for effective delivery of curcumin

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-ligand coordination self-assembly is crucial for functional materials.
• Curcumin (Cur) has therapeutic potential but suffers from poor water solubility and stability.
• Chitosan (CS) offers amino groups suitable for coordinating metal ions and drug incorporation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance curcumin's water solubility and biological stability.
• To create a pH-responsive drug delivery system.
• To investigate the antitumor activity of the developed nanocomplexes.

Main Methods:

• Coordination-driven self-assembly of chitosan, metal ions, and curcumin.
• Tuning nanocomplex size via chitosan concentration and metal ion type.
• Assessing hydrolytic stability using time-dependent absorption spectroscopy.
• Evaluating pH-triggered drug release kinetics.
• Investigating cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of the nanocomplexes.

Main Results:

• Formation of tunable CS-metal-Cur nanocomplexes with enhanced hydrolytic stability, particularly CS-Cu-Cur NPs.
• Demonstrated pH-triggered, sustained release of curcumin under acidic conditions.
• Exhibited efficient cellular internalization and significant cytotoxic effects.
• Achieved high drug-loading capacity and pH-responsive drug release.

Conclusions:

• CS-metal-Cur nanocomplexes offer a promising platform for improving curcumin's bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.
• The pH-responsive nature and enhanced stability make these nanocomplexes suitable for biomimetic and biomedical applications.
• The developed system shows potential for enhanced anticancer drug delivery.