Improving anti-melanoma effect of curcumin by biodegradable nanoparticles

Abstract

Melanoma is known as the most common malignant cutaneous cancer. Curcumin, a natural component, has been shown to have various activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, anti-amyloid and anti-thrombosis. However, there is a greatest obstacle in the administration of curcumin due to its hydrophobicity and low oral bioavailability. In this study, we formulated curcumin-loaded MPEG-PLA (Curcumin/MPEG-PLA) micelles aiming to improve its solubility in aqueous solution and investigated anti-tumor effect on melanoma in vitro and in vivo. The spherical curcumin/MPEG-PLA micelles were completely dispersed in normal saline and could release curcumin in a sustained manner in vitro. In addition, we demonstrated that curcumin/MPEG-PLA micelles had stronger cytotoxicity and induced a higher percentage of apoptosis in B16 and A375 cancer cells than free curcumin in vitro. The immunohistochemical study revealed that curcumin/MPEG-PLA micelles induced more melanoma cell apoptosis than free curcumin and inhibited neovascularization in tumor tissues. In conclusion, the curcumin/MPEG-PLA micelles have potential clinical application for melanoma.

Polyester nanomedicines targeting inflammatory signaling pathways for cancer therapy

“…CUR-mPEG-PLA Mic exhibited superior cytotoxicity and induced the highest rate of apoptosis against the melanoma cell lines B16 (murine) and A375 (human) than free CUR. Moreover, CUR-mPEG-PLA Mic caused higher apoptosis in the melanoma cells than free CUR and repressed neovascularization in the tumor tissues [105]. Zhu et al developed CUR-mPEG-PLA Mic using a thin-film hydration approach and evaluated their anticancer effects against A549 lung cancer cells.…”

Curcumin effect on cancer cells' multidrug resistance: An update

“…Formulation of curcumin as curcumin/MPEG-PLA micelles increased the toxicity of curcumin in a way that induced a higher percentage of melanoma cells to apoptosis (Wang et al, 2017). (Lin et al, 2012).…”

“…Application of curcumin nanoparticle formulation has been shown to strongly inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in cervical cancer cells compared to free curcumin (Zaman et al, 2016). Formulation of curcumin as curcumin/MPEG‐PLA micelles increased the toxicity of curcumin in a way that induced a higher percentage of melanoma cells to apoptosis (Wang et al, 2017). Other researchers have found curcumin‐loaded lipo‐PEG PEI complexes (LPPC) increases curcumin accumulation in B16F10 cells and enhances the toxicity of curcumin up to fivefold in curcumin‐sensitive cells and up to 20‐fold in curcumin‐resistant cells.…”

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms and the potential chemopreventive/therapeutic properties of natural compounds in melanoma

“…Micelles and liposomes are vesicles in which drugs can be trapped and administered more efficiently. Different curcumin-loaded micellar systems (chitosan-cholesterol-, poly(D,L-lactide)-, cholesterol-conjugated poly(D,Llactide)-, PEG-, cholesterol-and vitamin E-conjugated PEG-based micelles) exhibited higher cytotoxicity with respect to the free compound in 2D and 3D melanoma cell cultures and in melanoma-bearing mice, successfully solubilizing and stabilizing the drug and promoting its controlled release to the tumor cells [193][194][195][196][197][198][199]; liposomal delivery of curcumin, alone or in combination with anti-cancer agents and molecules such as paclitaxel or STAT3 siRNA, resulted in growth-suppressing and anti-angiogenic effects in in vitro and in vivo melanoma models [200][201][202][203][204].…”