Development of curcumin-loaded methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block- poly(caprolactone)-block-poly(1, 4, 8-Trioxa [4.6] spiro-9-undecanone) nanoparticles and studies on their in vitro anti-tumor activities.

The purpose of this paper was to fabricate a novel methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(caprolactone)-block-poly(1, 4, 8-Trioxa [4.6] spiro-9-undecanone) (mPEG-b-PCL-b-PTOSUO, mPECT) triblock copolymer and study on the in vitro anti-tumor activity of curcumin-loaded mPECT nanoparticles (NPs). The mPEG-b-PCL-b-PTOSUO NPs were fabricated with solvent evaporation. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and laser particle analyzer were applied to investigate the morphology and size distribution of the obtained mPECT NPs. The cytotoxicity of the copolymer (mPECT) was reflected by cell viability. Curcumin (CUR), as a model drug, was encapsulated into mPECT NPs. The in vitro anti-tumor activity of CUR-loaded mPECT NPs were also studied. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra confirmed the obtaining of mPECT. TEM photograph showed that most of mPECT NPs were in spherical shapes with a uniform size distribution. High cell viability suggested that the cargo-free mPECT NPs had no obvious cytotoxicity. Fluorescent photographs illustrated that CUR-loaded mPECT NPs could be up-taken by SW1990 cells. The medicated NPs could inhibit the proliferation of SW1990 cells. Therefore, the mPECT NPs could be used as a vehicle to improve the bioavailability and anti-tumor effects of CUR.