Curcumin Nanoemulsion: Evaluation of Stability and Anti-Cancer Activity In Vitro

Curcumin is a phytochemical compound extracted from the rhizomes of the plant Curcuma longa and shows intrinsic anti-cancer properties. Its medical application remains limited due to its extremely low water solubility and bioavailability. Addressing this problem, drug delivery systems based on nano-scale technology have emerged. Among the advanced techniques, the self-nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) has been considered as an ideal method to enhance the oral absorption and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The objectives of present study are to prepare a formulation of nanoemulsion containing curcuminoids of natural origin, assess its micro properties, stabilities and evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic activity against some cancer cells using tetrazolium dye MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazo- lium bromide] (MTT assay). Measurement results showed that the curcumin nanoemulsion was successfully synthesized with typical mean droplet sizes from 9 to 11 nm, and revealed an excellent stability over time. Curcumin in a nanoemulsion was more stable than unencapsulated curcumin. In vitro experiments on cytotoxic activities against Hela, HepG2 and H460 cancer cell lines indicated that the prepared curcumin nanoemulsion effectively inhibited the growth of all three cell lines with IC50 values of 8.6 µM, 14.5 µM and 5.3 µM respectively. Results of this study suggest that curcumin nanoemulsion can be considered as novel and promising chemo-preventive and therapeutic drug in treatment of cancer, and it may supply some useful ideas in developing anticancer drugs for further in vivo studies.