Green synthesis of carrier-free curcumin nanodrugs for light-activated breast cancer photodynamic therapy

Madi Sun; Yue Zhang; Yan He; Menghua Xiong; Hanyao Huang; Shucheng Pei; Jinfeng Liao; Yingshuai Wang; Dan Shao

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.04.061

Green synthesis of carrier-free curcumin nanodrugs for light-activated breast cancer photodynamic therapy

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Aug 1:180:313-318. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.04.061. Epub 2019 May 1.

Authors

Madi Sun¹, Yue Zhang², Yan He², Menghua Xiong³, Hanyao Huang⁴, Shucheng Pei⁵, Jinfeng Liao⁶, Yingshuai Wang⁷, Dan Shao⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Nanomedicine Engineering Laboratory of Jilin Province, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
² School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
³ School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou International Campus, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
⁵ Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
⁷ Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518520, China. Electronic address: yingshuaiwang1987@163.com.
⁸ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA. Electronic address: stanauagate@outlook.com.

PMID: 31071571
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.04.061

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising procedure for breast cancer therapy. Curcumin (Cur), a hydrophobic polyphenol derived from the spice turmeric, has been considered as a potential photosensitizer for PDT with evoked immune response, excellent safety, and low cost. However, the translation of curcumin in clinical cancer therapy suffers from an insufficient therapeutic dose in tumor tissues due to its poor solubility and low bioavailability. In this study, carrier-free curcumin nanodrugs (Cur NDs) were prepared without using any toxic solvents through a facile and green reprecipitation method. Cur NDs exhibited distinct optical properties, light-sensitive drug release behavior, resulting in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and PDT efficacy on breast cancer cells compared with free Cur. Furthermore, cell apoptosis during Cur-based PDT was concomitant with the activation of the ROS-mediated JNK/caspase-3 signaling pathway. Overall, our carrier-free Cur nanodrugs may be promising candidates for facilitating the efficacy and safety of PDT against breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Carrier-free; Curcumin; Light-responsive drug release; Photodynamic therapy.

MeSH terms

Animals
Apoptosis / drug effects
Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Cell Line, Tumor
Curcumin / pharmacology
Curcumin / therapeutic use*
Drug Carriers / chemistry*
Drug Liberation
Female
Green Chemistry Technology / methods*
Light*
Mice
Nanoparticles / chemistry*
Nanoparticles / ultrastructure
Photochemotherapy*
Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism

Substances

Drug Carriers
Reactive Oxygen Species
Curcumin