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Development of Chitosan and Alginate Nanocapsules to Increase the Solubility, Permeability and Stability of Curcumin

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Abstract

Purpose

Curcumin (CUR), a natural polyphenolic compound, has several pharmacological uses, primarily regarding its anti-inflammatory, chemotherapeutic, and antioxidant properties. However, to date, a significant drawback of curcumin is its poor bioavailability due to its low solubility and permeability. Therefore, the association of curcumin in polymeric nanocapsules may be an excellent strategy to increase its bioavailability.

Methods

Two nanocapsule systems were developed with an oily core of vitamin E surrounded by a biodegradable polymeric shell of either chitosan (NC-CS) or alginate (NC-ALG) capable of improving the encapsulation efficiency, stability, and permeability of CUR. NC-CS and NC-ALG showed particle sizes of approximately 116.7 ± 3.2 and 178 ± 7.9 nm, dispersities of 0.107 and 0.149, and zeta potentials of 24.4 ± 2.1 and − 49.0 ± 2.3 mV, respectively.

Results

The encapsulation efficiency was approximately 90% in both cases, and they were demonstrated to be stable under storage conditions for 3 months. Cytotoxicity studies performed in Caco-2 cells using the method of trypan blue dye revealed that even at a high concentration of chitosan and alginate (157.9 μg/cm2 or 600 mg/mL), both of the nanocapsules were not toxic, exhibiting cell viability > 80%. The permeability was evaluated using Caco-2 cells as an in vitro model of the epithelial barrier. The obtained results show that the permeability of NC-CS and NC-ALG encapsulated CUR was considerably higher compared to that of an aqueous suspension.

Conclusions

The obtained results suggest that nanocapsules could improve the solubility, permeability, and stability of curcumin.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Arkansas Bioscience Institute under the project: Development of an avian model for evaluation early enteric microbial colonization on the gastrointestinal tract and immune function.

Funding

The authors thank the CONACyT for the doctoral scholarship number 447447 and the financial support obtained through the program PAPIIT IN218115 of DGAPA-UNAM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio 5: LEDEFAR, Unidad de Investigación Multidisciplinaria, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 54714, Cuautitlan Izcalli, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

    Daniel Hernandez-Patlan, Bruno Solis-Cruz, Mario Alberto Cano-Vega, Raquel Lopez-Arellano & Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez

  2. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Mario Alberto Cano-Vega

  3. Université Clermont Auvergne, INRA, UMR MEDIS, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Eric Beyssac & Ghislain Garrait

  4. Departamento de Medicina y Zootecnia de Aves, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico

    Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco

  5. Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72710, USA

    Guillermo Tellez

  6. JKS Poultry Health Laboratory, 2652 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA

    Guillermo Tellez

Authors
  1. Daniel Hernandez-Patlan
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  2. Bruno Solis-Cruz
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  4. Eric Beyssac
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  9. Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez
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Contributions

Daniel Hernández-Patlán, Bruno Solís-Cruz, Mario Alberto Cano-Vega, Eric Beyssac, Ghislain Garrait, Guillermo Tellez, Raquel López-Arellano, and Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez contributed to the overall study design and supervised all research. Daniel Hernández-Patlán, Bruno Solis-Cruz, and Mario Alberto Cano-Vega carried out the experiments and acquisition of data. Daniel Hernández-Patlán, Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez, and Guillermo Tellez drafted and revised the first version of the manuscript. Daniel Hernández-Patlán, Bruno Solís-Cruz, Eric Beyssac, Ghislain Garrait, Raquel López-Arellano, Guillermo Tellez, and Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez analyzed the data. Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, Guillermo Tellez, and Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez drafted the article and revised it critically for important intellectual content. Daniel Hernández-Patlán, Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, and Guillermo Tellez were also responsible for the final editing of the manuscript. All the authors reviewed and finally approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guillermo Tellez.

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Hernandez-Patlan, D., Solis-Cruz, B., Cano-Vega, M.A. et al. Development of Chitosan and Alginate Nanocapsules to Increase the Solubility, Permeability and Stability of Curcumin. J Pharm Innov 14, 132–140 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12247-018-9341-1

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