curcumin and laminaran

Curcumin (CUR) is a promising natural compound in ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment, but limited by its low oral bioavailability and poor targeting ability. Therefore, given the targeting action of lactoferrin (LF) by binding to the LF receptors of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and of folic acid (FA) by binding to the FA receptors of macrophages, we developed an oral dual-targeting nanosystem. Laminarin (LA)-coated, FA-modified LF nanoparticles (NPs) were used to encapsulate CUR (LA/FA/CUR-NPs) with a food-grade, enzyme-sensitive, and dual-targeting capacity. For the generated NPs, LF improved the loading efficiency of CUR (95.08 %). The LA layer could improve the upper gastrointestinal tract stability of the NPs while improve drug release around colon lesion through β-glucanase digestion. Based on the cellular uptake evaluation, FA/CUR-NPs were capable of specifically targeting colonic epithelial cells and macrophages through LF and FA ligands, respectively, to enhance the uptake efficiency. Moreover, based on the advantage of the dual-targeting strategy, oral administration of FA/CUR-NPs obviously reduced colitis symptoms by alleviating inflammation, accelerating colonic mucosal barrier repair and restoring the balance of the intestinal microbiota. This dual-targeted nanodesign corresponded to the multi-bioresponsibilities of CUR, thus offering a promising approach in UC treatment.

Topics: Colitis, Ulcerative; Curcumin; Drug Carriers; Drug Delivery Systems; Folic Acid; Humans; Lactoferrin; Nanoparticles

In order to improve the anti-cancer therapy efficiency of hydrophobic drugs such as curcumin (Cur), a novel dual pH/redox sensitive marine laminarin-based nanomedicine carrier biomaterial with photo-dynamic therapy (PDT) was synthesized in this study. The new synthetic chemical structure, named as Hematin-Laminarin-Dithiodipropionic Acid-MGK (HLDM), was characterized by 1H-NMR and IR. The Cur-loaded micelles were then prepared via dialysis method. The HLDM could self-assemble into micelles in water with hydrodynamic diameter of 135±15 nm. The particle size, zeta potential and morphology of micelles were detected by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Interestingly, the in vitro release experiment showed that the release amount of Cur-loaded HLDM micelles could reach 80% in the pH and redox sensitive environment. Furthermore, cell study showed that the Cur-loaded HLDM micelles had stronger cellular uptake and cytotoxicity to MCF-7 cells than that of HLDM. The multifunctional marine laminarin based nanomedicine carrier biomaterial can be used for new drug delivery systems with dual pH/redox sensitivity for cancer therapy.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Biocompatible Materials; Curcumin; Drug Carriers; Glucans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Micelles; Nanomedicine; Oxidation-Reduction; Particle Size