A novel pH-sensitive drug carrier system based on 18-crown ether-6/sodium alginate for curcumin/nido-carborane encapsulation: Studies of release properties, cell imaging and bioactivity evaluation

Curcumin's remarkable anti-tumor action has drawn a lot of interest, however its low bioavailability, poor targeting, and poor water solubility restrict its therapeutic potential. Two fluorescent polymers based on curcumin/nido-carborane-crown ether were produced using a two-phase technique in this study: Cur/Carborane-C/SA (encapsulated with sodium alginate) and Cur/Carborane-C (without sodium alginate). Cur/Carborane-C/SA was thought to be the most promising polymer with anti-tumor properties. The drug delivery method based on the polymer created by tris (3-aminoethyl) amine (TAEA) and 18-crown ether-6 in combination with sodium alginate offers a novel approach to curcumin encapsulation technology. Nido-carborane improves the targeting of curcumin and its tumor-cell-inhibiting properties. Good fluorescence qualities were shown by Cur/Carborane-C/SA's fluorescence quantum yield of 0.119 %. According to in vitro drug release data, the polymer performed well for pH response release at 5.0. The TEM and particle size data demonstrated that curcumin produced uniformLy sized, difficult to agglomerate nanoparticles with a particle size of less than 300 nm. The polymer exhibited a substantial affinity and inhibition of HCT-116 and HeLa cells, with an inhibition rate that may reach 78.3 %, according to the findings of the cytotoxicity assay and cell imaging. As a result, it is anticipated that the produced Cur/Carborane-C/SA would provide a new pH-responsive drug carrier system for curcumin intended for use in cancer treatment.