Anticancer Activity of Curcumin Loaded Beta Carotene Nanoparticles in Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Anticancer properties of curcumin are studied by many groups in the past and they suggest that the activity is poor because of the poor solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. Research also suggested that the nanoparticles can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin and thus enhance the anticancer activity. However, all the studies were done with nanoparticle matrices like poly lactide co glycolic acid, polycaprolactone, or other popularly known polymers. Solid lipid nanoparticles were also prepared to enhance the bioavailability. In our study, we focused on hybrid nanoparticles that are in between solid lipid nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles. We used beta-carotene as a matrix material to encapsulate curcumin. Further, we studied the anticancer activity in IMR 32 cells (Neuro Blastoma cells), MCF 7 cells (Breast cancer cells), HEK 293 cells (Human embryonic kidney cells). The curcumin-loaded beta-carotene nanoparticles showed potent activity compared to curcumin alone in all the cell lines. Thus, it can be concluded that the curcumin-loaded beta-carotene nanoparticles are a good option for studying the benefits of curcumin in cancer.