The Use of an Efficient Microfluidic Mixing System for Generating Stabilized Polymeric Nanoparticles for Controlled Drug Release.

Microfluidics is a promising system for efficiently optimizing the experimental conditions for preparing nanomedicines, such as self-assembled nanoparticles. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles are promising drug carriers allowing sustained drug release. Here, we encapsulated the model drug curcumin, which has many pharmacological activities, into PLGA nanoparticles and investigated the effects of experimental conditions on the resulting PLGA nanoparticles using a microfluidics system with a staggered herringbone structure that can stir solutions through chaotic advection. The total flow rate and flow rate ratio of the solutions in the microfluidics system affected the diameters, polydispersity index, and encapsulation efficiency of the resulting PLGA nanoparticles and produced small, homogenous PLGA nanoparticles. The incorporation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-PLGA into the PLGA nanoparticles reduced the particle size and improved the encapsulation efficiency. Initial burst release from the PLGA nanoparticles was prevented by the incorporation of PEG2000-PLGA. Curcumin-loaded PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles showed cytotoxicity similar to that of other formulations. This microfluidics system allows high throughput and is scalable for the efficient preparation of PLGA nanoparticles and PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles. Our results will be useful for developing novel PLGA-based polymer nanoparticles by using the microfluidics.

Preparation of Curcumin-Containing α-, ß-, and γ-Cyclodextrin/Polyethyleneglycol-Conjugated Gold Multifunctional Nanoparticles and Their in Vitro Cytotoxic Effects on A549 Cells.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have promising properties such as photothermal effects and could be useful for imaging and as multifunctional nanocarriers for various drugs. In this study, we synthesized polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-grafted GNPs and conjugated them with cyclodextrin (CD) to incorporate curcumin. Curcumin has anticancer effects but its therapeutic application is limited due to poor water solubility. Three types of CDs (α-, ß-, and γ-CDs) were conjugated with PEGylated GNPs and the curcumin-containing CD/PEG-conjugated GNPs (cur-CD-GNPs) were characterized. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering results showed that these cur-CD-GNPs have a small gold nanocore (approximately 5 nm) and the average size of the three cur-CD-GNPs was approximately 25-35 nm. Curcumin was efficiently incorporated into the ß-CD solution and the loading efficiency of curcumin in ß-CD-GNPs was the highest of the three types of CD-GNPs prepared. The cytotoxic effect of cur-CD-GNPs was investigated using a human lung cancer cell line. All cur-CD-GNPs exhibited cytotoxic effects comparable to that of curcumin solution and CD-GNPs without curcumin were not cytotoxic. These results suggest that cur-CD-GNPs may be a useful multifunctional nanomedicine, although in vivo investigations are required.