Curcumin-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles for metastatic osteosarcoma cells treatment

Osteosarcoma is a high-class malignant bone cancer with a less than 20% five-year survival rate due to its early metastasis potential. There is an urgent need to develop a versatile and innoxious drug to treat metastatic osteosarcoma. Curcumin (Cur) has shown its potential for the treatment of many cancers; however, the clinical implication of native curcumin is severely hindered by its intrinsic property. In this study, a mixed system of monomethoxy (polyethylene glycol)-poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (mPEG-PLGA/PCL) was used to build a formulation of curcumin-encapsulated nanoparticles (Cur-NPs), which significantly improved the solubility, stability and cellular uptake of curcumin. Moreover, the Cur-NPs were superior to free curcumin in the matter of inhibition on the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma 143B cells. It was found that both free curcumin and Cur-NPs could decrease the expressions of c-Myc and MMP7 in the level of mRNA and protein, which explained why free curcumin and Cur-NPs could inhibit the proliferation and invasion of metastatic osteosarcoma 143B cells. The Cur-NPs provided a promising strategy for metastatic osteosarcoma treatment.