Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin

Natural products possess potent pharmacological activities and health benefits. However, drawbacks such as water insolubility, poor stability, and low bioavailability limit their practical applications. This research is dedicated to the development of suitable natural self-assembled nano-delivery sy...

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Main Authors: Liang Chen, Qiao Wu, Chen Yang, Xiulan Xin, Zhaochu Xu, Shuai Luo, Hao Liang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/2940
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author Liang Chen
Qiao Wu
Chen Yang
Xiulan Xin
Zhaochu Xu
Shuai Luo
Hao Liang
author_facet Liang Chen
Qiao Wu
Chen Yang
Xiulan Xin
Zhaochu Xu
Shuai Luo
Hao Liang
author_sort Liang Chen
collection DOAJ
description Natural products possess potent pharmacological activities and health benefits. However, drawbacks such as water insolubility, poor stability, and low bioavailability limit their practical applications. This research is dedicated to the development of suitable natural self-assembled nano-delivery systems to encapsulate natural molecule drugs, improving their dispersion and stability in aqueous solution. As a model drug, curcumin (Cur) was encapsulated in zinc–adenine nanoparticles (Zn–Adenine), based on the self-assembly of a coordination matrix material. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was further functionalized on the surface of Cur@(Zn–Adenine) to realize a tumor-targeted delivery system. The morphology was characterized through TEM and zeta potential analyses, while the encapsulation mechanism of the nanoparticles was researched via XRD and FTIR. The formed Cur@(Zn–Adenine)@HA nanoparticles exhibited good drug loading efficiency and drug loading rate. Moreover, compared to free Cur, Cur-loaded (Zn–Adenine)@HA showed enhanced pH stability and thermal stability. In particular, Cur@(Zn–Adenine)@HA demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and strong specificity for targeting CD44 protein on cancer cells. The above results indicate that (Zn–Adenine)@HA NPs can serve as an effective nano-delivery system for hydrophobic substances.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1420-3049
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Molecules
spelling doaj-art-ba13279bafb64fdcbf54282d3c4c07722025-08-20T03:32:15ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-07-013014294010.3390/molecules30142940Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with CurcuminLiang Chen0Qiao Wu1Chen Yang2Xiulan Xin3Zhaochu Xu4Shuai Luo5Hao Liang6School of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, ChinaSchool of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, ChinaSchool of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, ChinaSchool of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, ChinaSchool of Bioengineering, Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, ChinaNatural products possess potent pharmacological activities and health benefits. However, drawbacks such as water insolubility, poor stability, and low bioavailability limit their practical applications. This research is dedicated to the development of suitable natural self-assembled nano-delivery systems to encapsulate natural molecule drugs, improving their dispersion and stability in aqueous solution. As a model drug, curcumin (Cur) was encapsulated in zinc–adenine nanoparticles (Zn–Adenine), based on the self-assembly of a coordination matrix material. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was further functionalized on the surface of Cur@(Zn–Adenine) to realize a tumor-targeted delivery system. The morphology was characterized through TEM and zeta potential analyses, while the encapsulation mechanism of the nanoparticles was researched via XRD and FTIR. The formed Cur@(Zn–Adenine)@HA nanoparticles exhibited good drug loading efficiency and drug loading rate. Moreover, compared to free Cur, Cur-loaded (Zn–Adenine)@HA showed enhanced pH stability and thermal stability. In particular, Cur@(Zn–Adenine)@HA demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and strong specificity for targeting CD44 protein on cancer cells. The above results indicate that (Zn–Adenine)@HA NPs can serve as an effective nano-delivery system for hydrophobic substances.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/2940natural self-assembled nano-delivery systemcurcuminhyaluronic acidadenineanti-cancer
spellingShingle Liang Chen
Qiao Wu
Chen Yang
Xiulan Xin
Zhaochu Xu
Shuai Luo
Hao Liang
Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
Molecules
natural self-assembled nano-delivery system
curcumin
hyaluronic acid
adenine
anti-cancer
title Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
title_full Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
title_fullStr Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
title_full_unstemmed Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
title_short Construction and Anti-Cancer Activity of a Self-Assembly Composite Nano-Delivery System Loaded with Curcumin
title_sort construction and anti cancer activity of a self assembly composite nano delivery system loaded with curcumin
topic natural self-assembled nano-delivery system
curcumin
hyaluronic acid
adenine
anti-cancer
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/2940
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