A new study on synthesize and optimization of PEGylated LipoNiosomal nanocarriers containing curcumin for use in cancer chemotherapy

Introdution: Chemotherapy is one of most effective methods to fight metastatic tumors. Its non- targeting has many side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate various formulations of Lipo-Niosomal hybrid system to achieve an optimized and targeted formulation to provide proper function as a complementary drug in cancer chemotherapy. The present study was an experimental study. Five Lipo-Niosome systems with different formulations containing DPPC, Cholesterol, and Span60 were synthesized using thin-film method. Three formulations were chosen based on the entrapped efficiency of curcumin and their release profile was investigated in order to choose the final formula. In the following, the final formula was optimized by DSPE-mPEG(2000) and after calculating, the curcumin release profile in simulated environment of healthy and cancerous cells; physiochemical characteristics of the final formula determined by ZetaSizer, FTIR and SEM instruments. Final formulation of curcumin PEGylated lipo-niosome had 147.5 nm size, 98.12%±1.85 entrapment, -8.90 mV zeta potential, and 0.176 of PDI. The maximum release of the drug for this nanosystem in an environment similar to healthy cells was 19.02% and 24.88% in cancerous cells. FTIR and SEM investigations show drug and nanocarrier had no chemical interaction leading to change the functional groups and its particles have a spherical morphology. The findings of this study along with confirming the system to be semi-targeting, shows that carrier released entrapped drug with continuous and controlled rate without any change in chemical nature of the drug. It appears the nanoscale size and the low anionic charge of the system is an indication of its high cellular uptake