Nano-curcumin prepared via supercritical: Improved anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer efficacy

Curcumin (CM) possesses multiple biological activities. However, poor water solubility and low bioavailability limit its application in biomedical fields. CM nanoparticles (NPs) (230-240 nm) were prepared by solution-enhanced dispersion via supercritical CO2 (SEDS) (22-22.5 MPa pressure, 31-32.5 degrees C temperature) and its biological functions were evaluated in this study. The Minimum inhibitory concentration of CM NPs against S. aureus (similar to 250 mg/mL) was lower than CM-DMSO (similar to 500 mg/mL). Meanwhile, CM NPs showed effective anti-oxidant ability at a concentration raging from 125 to 2000 mg/mL. CM NPs showed time-dependent intracellular internalization ability, resulting in an enhanced anticancer effect on colorectal cancer cells (HCT116), and the mechanism could be explained by cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase associated with inducing apoptotic cells. Moreover, CM NPs exhibited reduced cytotoxicity on normal cells (NCM460) compared to CM-DMSO and 5-Fu. In conclusion, CM NPs prepared via SEDS showed potentials in biomedical applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.