Exploring Steroidal Surfactants as Potential Drug Carriers for an Anticancer Drug Curcumin: An Insight into the Effect of Surfactants’ Structure on the Photophysical Properties, Stability, and Activity of Curcumin

Abstract

Despite having tremendous medicinal benefits, the practical applications of curcumin are limited, owing to two major challenges: poor aqueous solubility and lack of bioavailability. In this regard, biosurfactant-based micellar systems have surged recently for the development of novel and more effective formulations because of their biological relevance. This study deals with a comprehensive and comparative investigation on the effect of seven structurally different steroidal surfactants on the photophysical properties of curcumin and also evaluates these steroidal surfactants as possible drug delivery media for curcumin. The photophysical properties of curcumin exhibited a strong dependence on the structure of the steroidal surfactant; the extent of excited-state proton transfer between curcumin and the surfactants depends strongly on the type of the side chain in the surfactants, which mostly dictates the photophysics of curcumin in the presence of these structural variants. The solubility of curcumin and its stability at different pHs and temperatures and in the presence of salt are significantly enhanced in the presence of these surfactants. Furthermore, the curcumin-loaded micelles exhibited improved intracellular uptake and cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cancer cells than pristine curcumin. Among these steroidal surfactants, CHAPS, the zwitterionic derivative of cholic acid, was the most efficient one to offer better solubility and stability to curcumin under all conditions, and the death rate of MCF-7 cells by curcumin was found to be the highest in the presence of CHAPS, indicating the enhanced bioavailability of curcumin. Therefore, CHAPS-based colloids are found to be promising candidates as potential drug carriers for curcumin.

Synthesis, theoretical analysis, and biological properties of a novel tridentate Schiff base palladium (II) complex

“…The Schiff base ligand (25 μM), palladium (II) complex (60 μM), and curcumin (50 μM) solutions were prepared in Tris-HCl, pH 8, containing 15% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The degradation of the Schiff base ligand, palladium (II) complex, and curcumin were evaluated for 100 min by the UV-Vis spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer, Lambda 35, USA), at 428, 383, and 429 nm, respectively at room temperature (Mohanty et al 2023).…”

Insight into the Effect of Submicellar Concentrations of Sodium Deoxycholate on the Structure, Stability, and Activity of Bovine and Human Serum Albumin: An Interesting Comparison between Single and Double Tryptophan Proteins

“…In recent years, a surge in the applications of bile salts in diverse areas, especially in the fields of pharmaceutical and drug delivery, has triggered research on their interactions with various biological macromolecules, particularly with proteins. − The protein–bile salt interactions monitor various physiological processes, hence representing an important step toward the identification of new therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases and also becoming crucial to gaining insight into intracellular lipid transport . In addition, the ability of bile salts to act as mild detergents allows them to be used in the field of proteomics, i.e., protein purification, isolation, and crystallization. − Besides, bile salts are frequently used in various pharmaceutical formulations to enhance drug solubility, maintain drug stability, and improve the permeation, absorption, and bioavailability of drugs. − The ever-growing importance of bile salts as biocolloid-based drug carriers demands a comprehensive study of their interaction with proteins, especially drug-binding proteins such as serum albumins (SA). Moreover, bile salts are transported in the bloodstream mainly bound to the serum albumin, and their interaction plays a pivotal role in the uptake and clearance of bile salts by the liver .…”