Spray-dried micellar dry powder inhalation of curcumin for lung-targeted delivery in non-small cell lung cancer therapy

A spray-dried DPI formulation was developed to enhance solubility, stability, and pulmonary delivery of curcumin-loaded CS–HA dual-coated micelles for lung cancer therapy. Curcumin was encapsulated in Pluronic F68 micelles via thin-film hydration and coated with CS–HA to improve colloidal stability and cellular interaction. The micellar suspension was spray-dried using lactose and L-leucine as dispersibility enhancers. Formulation characterisation was conducted using DLS to determine mean diameter and PDI, zeta potential analysis, and HPLC for drug loading and encapsulation efficiency, along with TEM. Spray-dried formulations were further characterised by SEM, laser diffraction (Sympatec), FTIR, and XRPD. In vitro aerosol characterisation was performed using NGI. The micelles exhibited a mean diameter of 209 nm, PDI of 0.21, zeta potential of –14 mV, encapsulation efficiency of 50–90%, and loading capacity of 5.6% (w/w). XRPD and FTIR confirmed amorphous conversion and stability. The optimized DPI showed favourable aerodynamic properties for targeted pulmonary delivery in NSCLC.