DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF CURCUMIN LOADED CHIA SEED MUCILAGE BASED ELECTROSPRAYED NANOPARTICLES: IN VITRO-EX VIVO CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract

Chia seed mucilage (CSM) has recently been reported as a biocompatible polymeric matrix for drug delivery. Curcumin (CUR), an active phytoconstituent widely recognized for managing colon and other types of cancer, faces limitations, such as poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Hence, this study focuses on developing CUR-loaded CSM-based electrosprayed nanoparticles (ENPs) using the electrospraying technology. The particle size and zeta potential of the optimized batch (F9) were measured at 82.20 nm and 22.39 mV, respectively. Solubility studies confirmed that the optimized CUR-ENPs exhibit higher solubility compared to bare CUR, with a 92.25% drug release in 12 h (pH 5.8). The designed CUR-ENPs showed good biocompatibility in normal FHC-CRL-1831 cell lines over the bare CUR. Moreover, CUR-ENPs demonstrated a reduction in % cell viability in the preferred HCT116 cell line as a colorectal cancer cell line over bare CUR. In conclusion, the designed electrosprayed CUR-ENPs demonstrate improved solubility of CUR.