Nanocurcumin-Loaded UCNPs for Cancer Theranostics: Physicochemical Properties, In Vitro Toxicity, and In Vivo Imaging Studies
Anbharasi Lakshmanan,
Roman A. Akasov,
Natalya V. Sholina,
Polina A. Demina,
Alla N. Generalova,
Ajithkumar Gangadharan,
Dhiraj K. Sardar,
Krishna Bharat Lankamsetty,
Dmitry A. Khochenkov,
Evgeny V. Khaydukov,
Sergey V. Gudkov,
Manonmani Jayaraman,
Senthilselvan Jayaraman
Affiliations
Anbharasi Lakshmanan
Department of Nuclear Physics, Guindy Campus, University of Madras, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
Roman A. Akasov
I M Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Natalya V. Sholina
I M Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Polina A. Demina
Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Alla N. Generalova
Federal Scientific Research Center, “Crystallography and Photonics”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospekt 59, 119333 Moscow, Russia
Ajithkumar Gangadharan
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Dhiraj K. Sardar
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Krishna Bharat Lankamsetty
Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM” (FSAC VIM), 109428 Moscow, Russia
Dmitry A. Khochenkov
FSBI “N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center for Oncology”, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Kashirskoe Shosse 24, 115478 Moscow, Russia
Evgeny V. Khaydukov
I M Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Sergey V. Gudkov
Biophotonics Center, Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova St. 38, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Manonmani Jayaraman
Department of Chemistry, Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women, Chennai 600002, Tamil Nadu, India
Senthilselvan Jayaraman
Department of Nuclear Physics, Guindy Campus, University of Madras, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
Formulation of promising anticancer herbal drug curcumin as a nanoscale-sized curcumin (nanocurcumin) improved its delivery to cells and organisms both in vitro and in vivo. We report on coupling nanocurcumin with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) using Poly (lactic-co-glycolic Acid) (PLGA) to endow visualisation in the near-infrared transparency window. Nanocurcumin was prepared by solvent-antisolvent method. NaYF4:Yb,Er (UCNP1) and NaYF4:Yb,Tm (UCNP2) nanoparticles were synthesised by reverse microemulsion method and then functionalized it with PLGA to form UCNP-PLGA nanocarrier followed up by loading with the solvent-antisolvent process synthesized herbal nanocurcumin. The UCNP samples were extensively characterised with XRD, Raman, FTIR, DSC, TGA, UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer, Upconversion spectrofluorometer, HRSEM, EDAX and Zeta Potential analyses. UCNP1-PLGA-nanocurcumin exhibited emission at 520, 540, 660 nm and UCNP2-PLGA-nanocurmin showed emission at 480 and 800 nm spectral bands. UCNP-PLGA-nanocurcumin incubated with rat glioblastoma cells demonstrated moderate cytotoxicity, 60–80% cell viability at 0.12–0.02 mg/mL marginally suitable for therapeutic applications. The cytotoxicity of UCNPs evaluated in tumour spheroids models confirmed UCNP-PLGA-nanocurcumin therapeutic potential. As-synthesised curcumin-loaded nanocomplexes were administered in tumour-bearing laboratory animals (Lewis lung cancer model) and showed adequate contrast to enable in vivo and ex vivo study of UCNP-PLGA-nanocurcumin bio distribution in organs, with dominant distribution in the liver and lungs. Our studies demonstrate promise of nanocurcumin-loaded upconversion nanoparticles for theranostics applications.
