Xanthan gum stabilized PEGylated gold nanoparticles for improved delivery of curcumin in cancer

Abstract

In recent years, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have received immense interest in various biomedical applications including drug delivery, photothermal ablation of cancer and imaging agent for cancer diagnosis. However, the synthesis of AuNPs poses challenges due to the poor reproducibility and stability of the colloidal system. In the present work, we developed a one step, facile procedure for the synthesis of AuNPs from hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) hydrate (HAuCl4. 3H2O) by using ascorbic acid and xanthan gum (XG) as reducing agent and stabilizer, respectively. The effect of concentrations of HAuCl4, 3H2O, ascorbic acid and methoxy polyethylene glycol-thiol (mPEG800-SH) were optimized and it was observed that stable AuNPs were formed at concentrations of 0.25 mM, 50 μM and 1 mM for HAuCl4.3H2O, ascorbic acid, and mPEG800-SH, respectively. The XG stabilized, deep red wine colored AuNPs (XG-AuNPs) were obtained by drop-wise addition of aqueous solution of ascorbic acid (50 mM) and XG (1.5 mg ml(-1)). Synthesized XG-AuNPs showed λmax at 540 nm and a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 80 ± 3 nm. PEGylation was performed with mPEG800-SH to obtain PEGylated XG-AuNPs (PX-AuNPs) and confirmed by Ellman's assay. No significant shift observed in λmax and hydrodynamic diameter between XG-AuNPs and PX-AuNPs. Colloidal stability of PX-AuNPs was studied in normal saline, buffers within a pH range of 1.2-7.4, DMEM complete medium and in normal storage condition at 4 ˚C. Further, water soluble curcumin was prepared using PVP-K30 as solid dispersion and loaded on to PX-AuNPs (CPX-AuNPs), and evaluated for cellular uptake and cytotoxicity in Murine melanoma (B16F10) cells. Time and concentration dependent studies using CPX-AuNPs showed efficient uptake and decreased cell viability compared to free curcumin.

Microbial Exopolysaccharides as Drug Carriers

“…The addition of PEG improved an extended systemic circulation of the polymer, and highlights the ability of producing multicomponent systems with a positive combined action. These nanoparticles had an enhanced cytotoxicity activity against lung cancer cells due to XG’s functional groups [ 83 ].…”

The Implication of a Novel Herbal Formulation in Reversal of Drug-Resistance for Cancer Treatment

“…Another compound, curcumin is a polyphenol found in turmeric has broad pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-tumour effects (31). Also, it has been found that curcumin can reverse drug resistance in tumour cells from gastric, hepatic and cervical cancers as well as other malignancies (32,33).…”

Nrf2 is a key factor in the reversal effect of curcumin on multidrug resistance in the HCT‑8/5‑Fu human colorectal cancer cell line

“…It exhibits a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-oxidative and anticancer effects ( 9 – 11 ). Previous studies have demonstrated that curcumin reversed MDR in various tumors, including gastric, hepatic, and cervical cancer ( 12 , 13 ). However, the mechanisms associated with the MDR reversal effect of curcumin and its targets remain to be fully elucidated.…”