Encapsulation and in vitro release studies of curcumin in polymeric micelles composed of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers

Abstract

Curcumin (CCM) is a natural polyphenolic compound with antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor properties, but its hydrophobicity limits its therapeutic application. Nanotechnology can provide an effective method for improving aqueous solubility of this important drug. In such respects, polymeric micelles (MPs), self-assembly formed nanostructures from amphiphilic surfactants or copolymers, can thus provide a favorable environment in order to conduct the CCM in aqueous environment. Such an approach is of paramount importance in the clinical therapeutic field as well as in the nanotechnological field in order to develop an innovative and alternative formulation for delivering lipophilic drugs with low solubility in the aqueous environment. In order to achieve this objective, the present project intends to obtain MP formulations composed of Pluronic L35 for the encapsulation of CCM, using different proportions of CCM and Pluronic L35, and to estimate the encapsulation and loading rates of CCM in the obtained formulations. In addition, it is intended to characterize the MP formulations and to study their stability in terms of size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential (¶) by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and the in vitro release profile of MPCs at different temperatures over time. (AU)