Polyurethane-based targeted active nanocarriers for colon cancer treatment

This study aims to develop an alternative nanoparticle-based formulation for targeted colon cancer therapy. A biocompatible thermoplastic polyurethane-oleic acid-polyethylene glycol (TPU-OLE-PEG) copolymer was synthesised. Curcumin (CUR), a natural polyphenol, was loaded into the nanoparticles, followed by folate (FO) conjugation for enable targeted delivery to HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. Optimised nanoparticles exhibited a spherical, homogeneous, and monodisperse morphology with an average size of 249 ± 5.7 nm, a zeta potential (ZP) of -28.9 ± 0.8 mV, and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.085. The drug loading efficiency exceeded 95%, while the folate conjugation efficiency reached 98.3%. In vitro release studies indicated sustained drug delivery over 19 days. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that CUR-loaded nanoparticles reduced HT-29 cell viability to 66.35%, and FO conjugation further decreased it to 52.74%. The FO-CUR-TPU-OLE-PEG nanoparticle system exhibits strong potential as a targeted therapeutic platform for colon cancer and represents a promising alternative to currently available formulations.