Inclusion of Curcumin in β-cyclodextrins as Potential Drug Delivery System: Preparation, Characterization and Its Preliminary Cytotoxicity Approaches

The development and application of organic based drug carrier in drug delivery system (DDSs) with greater efficacy and fewer side effects remains a significant challenge in modern scientific and medical research. The aim of current study was to evaluate the ability of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) as drug delivery carrier to encapsulate Curcumin (CUR), a promising chemotherapeutic that exhibits low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability forming inclusion complex by kneading method to enhance its delivery to cancer cells. Different methods and analysis such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, H-1 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (H-1 NMR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were employed to approve the successful formation of the inclusion complex where the aromatic ring of CUR has been encapsulated by the hydrophobic cavity of beta-CD. UV absorption indicated that beta-CD complex with CUR with an apparent formation constant of 1.09 x 10(-8)mol(-1)dm(-3). Based on the data obtained by methylthiazole tetrazolium (MTT), beta-CD showed that not only did it enhanced Curcumin delivery, but it also improved and promoted the anti-proliferative effect of CUR during the complexation rather than CUR alone on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cells at 24 h incubation period with IC50 lower than that of Curcumin alone. The toxicities of the beta-CD-CUR towards MCF-7 cells were also compared to the free tamoxifen, Curcumin and beta-CD. This study provides a preliminary toxicity evaluation based on beta-CD-CUR inclusion complex as potential delivery system towards the selected cancer cells.