Radiation-induced curcumin release from curcumin-chitosan polymer films.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Radiation Chemistry
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Human exposure to damaging radiation is increasing due to space flight, medical therapies, and nuclear accidents.
• Current countermeasures for radiation damage are insufficient to meet the growing need.
• Development of responsive drug delivery systems is crucial for effective radioprotection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a radiation-responsive drug delivery system.
• To investigate the controlled release of curcumin from a chitosan polymer upon radiation exposure.
• To explore the potential of this system as a radioprotective platform.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a chitosan-curcumin polymer in fibrous and film forms.
• Exposure to varying doses of gamma radiation (¹³⁷Cs) and high linear energy transfer (LET) ⁵⁶Fe radiation.
• Quantification of curcumin release using UV-Vis spectroscopy.
• Analysis of polymer structure changes using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR).
• Computational modeling using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to elucidate the release mechanism.

Main Results:

• Fibrous chitosan-curcumin released 5% curcumin at 1 Gy and 98% at 6 Gy gamma irradiation.
• Chitosan-curcumin films demonstrated significant curcumin release in water (100%) and isopropyl alcohol (32%) after 2 Gy irradiation.
• ATR FT-IR confirmed glycosidic bond cleavage in the polymer upon exposure to both gamma and high LET radiation.
• DFT calculations indicated homolytic bond scission as the primary mechanism for radiation-induced polymer disintegration.

Conclusions:

• A chitosan-curcumin polymer system effectively releases curcumin in response to ionizing radiation.
• The system shows promise as a radiation-triggered drug delivery platform.
• This technology could lead to advanced radio-protective strategies against biological damage from radiation exposure.