Solid
lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are promising drug delivery vehicles
for the delivery of various drugs, especially poorly water-soluble
drugs. However, the aqueous stability, drug release, and biocompatibility
of SLNs are some of the issues that need attention. In this work,
curcumin-loaded SLNs were prepared, and morphology, particle size,
and entrapment efficiency were studied. For this, two amino acid-derived
lipids were developed. The effect of the polarity of the lipid head
on the aqueous stability of the SLN dispersion was investigated. Based
on the stability, particle size, and polydispersity, an optimum formulation
was obtained. The curcumin entrapment efficiency of the SLNs was found
to be greater than those reported in the literature. The entrapped
curcumin, as well as curcumin-loaded SLN suspensions, exhibited improved
storage stability. The in vitro release kinetics indicated an enhanced
rate of drug release in the case of curcumin-loaded SLNs consisting
of the lipid containing −OH groups at the lipid head. The pure
lipid and the blank SLN were found to have no significant cytotoxicity,
but curcumin and curcumin-loaded SLNs induced cell death in a concentration-dependent
manner in both human prostatic adenocarcinoma PC3 cell line and human
breast carcinoma MCF7 cell line. This study has proposed a potential
semisynthetic lipid for the stable SLN suspension for the delivery
of curcumin.