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Author Spotlight: Exploring Photodynamic Therapy with Curcumin in a Murine Model for Oral Candidiasis
Published on: October 27, 2023
Curcumin I-SMA nanomicelles as promising therapeutic tool to tackle bacterial infections
Nicola F Virzì1, Antonino N Fallica1, Giuseppe Romeo1
1Department of Drug and Health Science, University of Catania Viale A. Doria 6 95125 Catania Italy valeria.pittala@unict.it.
Abstract:
Renewed interest towards natural substances has been pushed by the widespread diffusion of antibiotic resistance. Curcumin I is the most active and effective constituent of curcuminoids extracted from Curcuma longa and, among other beneficial effects, attracted attention for its antimicrobial potential. Since the poor pharmacokinetic profile hinders its efficient utilization, in the present paper, we report encapsulation of curcumin I in poly(styrene-co-maleic acid) (SMA-CUR) providing a nanomicellar system with improved aqueous solubility and bioavailability. SMA-CUR was characterized by means of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, atomic force microscopy (AFM), drug release studies, spectroscopic properties and stability. SMA-CUR nanoformulation displayed exciting antimicrobial properties compared to free curcumin I towards Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates.
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