Curcumin/Tween 20-incorporated cellulose nanoparticles with enhanced curcumin solubility for nano-drug delivery: characterization and in vitro evaluation

A poorly water-soluble anticancer drug, curcumin was loaded into cellulose nanocrystals by dissolving it in a commonly used nonionic surfactant medium. Results showed that the drug loading capacity of nanocellulose increased with increasing the surfactant concentration of the medium. The drug loading capacity of nanocellulose in surfactant medium was significantly higher (7.73 mg/g) when compared to the drug loading capacity (3.35 mg/g) in methanolic medium. The nanocellulose drug loaded in surfactant medium (TW/CNC) showed higher drug release compared to the nanocellulose drug loaded in methanolic medium (METH/CNC). It was 8.99 mg/L for TW/CNC and 2.65 mg/L for METH/CNC in simulated gastric fluid. Due to the increased stability of curcumin in acidic medium, all the nanoparticles showed higher drug release in simulated gastric fluid compared to phosphate buffered saline solution. The maximum dissolution of curcumin was 2.13 mg/mL in distilled water containing 4% (w/v) of surfactant. UV–visible spectra revealed that the curcumin retained its chemical activity after in vitro release. From these findings, it is believed that the incorporation of curcumin into nanocellulose in surfactant medium provides a promising approach for delivery of curcumin to stomach and upper intestinal tract.