EVALUATION OF STABILITY, CELLULAR UPTAKE AND ANTI-TUMOUR ACTIVITIES OF AN OPTIMIZED CURCUMIN SOLID LIPID NANOPARTICLES FORMULATION.

Curcumin has a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities but its main drawbacks (Low stability and poor bioavailability profiles) have restricted its therapeutic applications. In our previous study an optimized formula of solid lipid nanoparticles containing curcumin (C-SLNs) was prepared to overcome its drawbacks. The aim of the optimized C-SLN formula to increase curcumin’s stability, and enhance its anticancer activity against A2780 ovarian cancer cells. The purpose of the current study was characterization of the optimized C-SLN formula through conducting morphological examination, stability, cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies. The morphological examination using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the spherical nature of the optimized C-SLN formula. The stability of the optimized C-SLN formula at different temperatures was evaluated over the storage period of 6 months. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies revealed enhanced antiproliferative activity of the optimized C-SLN formula compared to native curcumin solution in DMSO_. The present study indicated the effectiveness of C-SLNs in enhancing the anticancer effect of curcumin in ovarian cancer cells in-vitro.