The In Vitro Toxicity Profile of Nanoencapsulated Curcumin in a Chitosan-Alginate Gel Carrier Using Rabbit...

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Biotechnology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Curcumin, a natural compound, offers health benefits but suffers from low bioavailability.
• Nanoencapsulation aims to improve curcumin's stability and absorption in animal feed.
• Potential toxicity of nanoencapsulated curcumin due to aggregation and hydrolysis is a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of nanoencapsulated curcumin in rabbit blood cells.
• To assess the safety of nanoencapsulated curcumin formulations for potential use in animal husbandry.

Main Methods:

• Peripheral whole blood from rabbits was exposed to three concentrations of nanoencapsulated curcumin (2.5, 5.0, 10 µg/mL) and a control.
• Cytotoxicity was assessed using trypan blue exclusion (viability), comet assay (DNA damage), and micronucleus assay (genotoxicity).

Main Results:

• Nanoencapsulated curcumin significantly reduced blood cell viability (1-9%) at all tested concentrations.
• The encapsulation matrices alone showed no toxicity.
• Comet assay indicated nanocurcumin toxicity at all concentrations, while the micronucleus assay revealed cell damage and apoptosis.

Conclusions:

• Nanoencapsulated curcumin exhibits significant in vitro cytotoxicity in rabbit blood cells.
• The encapsulation matrices appear safe, but the nanocurcumin formulations pose risks.
• Further studies with varied matrices and concentrations are recommended to mitigate toxicity.