Curcumin, a functional food polyphenol reported to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis through interaction with multiple molecular targets. However, the clinical usefulness of curcumin in the treatment of cancer is limited due to poor solubility in water at acidic and neutral pH, hydrolytic degradation in alkaline pH and metabolism in the liver and intestine, resulting in decreased or absence of therapeutic efficacy. Hence, the present study was aimed to overcome the limitations of curcumin in the treatment of cancer by codelivery of nanosized curcumin and bioenhancer using acid degradable polymeric nanoparticles. Modified nanoprecipitation method was used to prepare void, curcumin-piperine, curcumin-quercetin and curcumin-silibinin encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles. Prepared nanoformulations were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, surface morphology, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, in vitro release, stability at elevated storage conditions, toxicity on normal liver cells, anticancer activity on various cancer cell lines and on cancer induced rats. Prepared curcumin-bioenhancer encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles were (a) spherical in shape with size <100 nm and displayed excellent uniformity; (b) showed >95% release of curcumin and bioenhancers within 45 minutes in gastric fluid; (c) proved non-toxic to normal liver cells; (d) extremely stable at elevated storage conditions; and (e) demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity against various cancer cell lines and mammary cancer in rats than the pure curcumin. Study concludes that the prepared curcumin-bioenhancer encapsulated polymeric nanoformulations significantly overcome the limitations of curcumin in the treatment of cancer and synergistically enhance its anticancer activity. However, out of three polymeric nanoformulations, curcumin-silibinin polymeric nanoformulation showed superior anticancer activity.

The present study was aimed to develop dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate based nanoparticulate drug delivery system using nanoprecipitation method and optimize the process parameters using PlackettBurman factorial design to yield least average particle size and narrow sized particle distribution without filtration or centrifugation process. Twelve experimental runs involving 11 process parameters at higher and lower levels were generated using Design-Expert. Factorial design result has shown that (a) Except stirring duration all other process parameters significantly influence the average particle size; (B) Except β-cyclodextrin concentration, aqueous phase volume and organic phase volume, all other process parameters significantly influence the polydispersity index; and (C) Except polymer concentration and poloxamer 407 concentration, all other process parameters do not significantly influence the zeta potential. The average particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of the prepared dual drug loaded nanoparticles were well within acceptable limits and found to be in the range of 47 to 87 nm, 0.14 to 0.28 and 22 to 39 mV, respectively. Surface morphology examination has shown that the prepared nanoparticles were spherical in shape. The developed dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate based nanoparticulate drug delivery system can be routinely used to fabricate narrow sized polymeric nanoparticles without filtration or centrifugation process.

The primary aim of the study was to prepare narrow sized polymeric nanoparticles by implementing few modifications to the conventional nanoprecipitation technique and to evaluate the effect of various process parameters on prepared polymeric nanoparticles. Eudragit E 100 nanoparticles were prepared by modified nanoprecipitation technique and step-by-step optimization was carried out to evaluate the effect of various process parameters such as organic solvent, polymer concentration, percentage of organic solvent, mode of addition of organic solvent in to aqueous phase, volume of aqueous phase, poloxamer 188 concentration, β-cyclodextrin concentration, temperature generated during sonication process, sonication duration, and drug concentration on the particle size, surface area, distribution width and uniformity of the prepared nanoparticles. The optimized process parameters were implemented to fabricate dual drug loaded Eudragit E 100 nanoparticles which were spherical in shape with mean particle size in the range of 118 to 140 nm, polydispersity index in the range of 0.187 to 0.254 and zeta potential in the range of 16.6 to 28.8 mV. Thus developed modified nanoprecipitation method can be used to fabricate narrow sized polymeric nanoparticles.

Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol isolated from dried rhizomes of turmeric exhibits diverse pharmacological activities including anti-bacterial. However, the clinical usefulness of curcumin was limited mainly due to low aqueous solubility and stability. The primary aim of the study was to prepare anionic surfactant based curcumin nanosuspension and to assess its in-vitro anti-bacterial efficacy on Escherichia coli in comparison with ethanolic solution of curcumin. Curcumin nanosuspension was prepared by nanoprecipitation method, characterized for the average particle size, span, uniformity, surface area, and surface morphology and assessed for its anti-bacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli using agar well diffusion method. Prepared curcumin nanosuspension showed an average particle size of about 175 nm, span of about 1.5, uniformity of about 0.8, surface area of about 57 m²/g and nanoparticles were spherical in shape. Curcumin nanosuspension have shown significant (P<0.05) anti-bacterial activity against Escherichia coli at various concentrations in comparison with ethanolic solution of curcumin. We conclude that the size reduction of curcumin in nano range has increased the surface area resulting in increased aqueous solubility and reactability of curcumin, which in turn have increased the potency of curcumin nanosuspension.

The present study was aimed to fabricate Curcumin loaded Eudragit E 100 polymeric nanoparticles and to study the effect of various manufacturing parameters on the average particle size, span, uniformity and surface area of the prepared polymeric nanoparticles by utilizing Plackett-Burman experimental designs. Curcumin loaded Eudragit E 100 nanoparticles were prepared by nanoprecipitation method and characterized using particle size analyser. Plackett-Burman design was implemented to study the influence of eight independent variables on three dependent variables. Twelve experimental trials involving 8 independent variables at higher and lower levels were generated by Design-Expert. Out of 12 trials, 4^th and 9^th trails were within the acceptable limits. Least average particle size can be obtained by increasing the concentration of poloxamer 188, increasing the volume of aqueous phase, increasing the sonication duration and decreasing the ethanol concentration. Similarly, span less than 1 can be obtained by increasing the concentration of poloxamer 188, increasing the sonication duration and decreasing the ethanol concentration. However, uniformity can be increased decreasing the ethanol concentration. Higher surface area can be obtained by increasing the concentration of Eudragit E 100, poloxamer 188 and increasing the volume of the aqueous phase.