Design and fabrication of functionalized curdlan-curcumin delivery system to facilitate the therapeutic effects of curcumin on breast cancer

We developed a facile method for the fabrication of a biodegradable delivery system composed of two blocks: curdlan and curcumin. This was achieved by chemical functionalization of curdlan through tosylation, amination followed by complexation with curcumin. A comprehensive evaluation of structural characterization and component stability showed that cur-cum complex exhibited better anticancer properties with enhanced thermal properties. The cur-cum complex shows pH sensitive sustained release behaviour with higher release at acidic pH and kinetic data of drug release follows the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The cur-cum complex has ability to block the proliferation of the MCF-7 cell line as revealed by MTT assay which showed increased toxicity of cur-cum complex against these cell lines. The results obtained from western blot analysis demonstrated that the co-administration of cur and cum effectively induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. This effect was observed by a considerable upregulation of the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, a decline in mRNA expression of LDHA, level of lactate and LDH activity. The results clearly depict the role of functionalized curdlan as efficient carrier for curcumin delivery with prolonged, sustained release and enhanced bioavailability, thereby improving the overall anticancer activity.