Hyaluronic Acid – Coated Niosomes for Curcumin Targeted Delivery into Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract This study described a hyaluronic acid (HA) coated niosomes (Nio) encapsulated curcumin (CRM) (CRM‐HA‐Nio) to improve therapeutic properties via targeted delivery. CRM‐HA‐Nio was prepared by thin film hydration method and characterized via dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Release assay was performed utilizing dialysis method. Antioxidant, Cell viability, and cellular uptake assays were performed to evaluate the biological activity. CRM‐HA‐Nio has 142.93±39.71 nm size with −20.67±1.10 charge and showed good stability with 93±4.35 % encapsulation efficiency and displayed pH‐independent release pattern. CRM‐HA‐Nio displayed a 2‐fold antioxidant improvement compared to free CRM. CRM‐HA‐Nio showed much better cytotoxic activity on MCF‐7 cell line with IC 50 of 1.851±0.45 μM compared to free CRM of IC 50 equal to 5.230±0.85 μM, by approximately 3‐fold enhancement. CRM‐HA‐Nio may be a promising targeted nanocarrier to elucidate targeted bioactivity against cancer when oxidative stress is a major side effect.