Curcumin‐loaded nanoparticle based on poloxamer188 for glioma treatment: Synthesis, characterization and in vitro evaluation

Abstract Glioma is the most common primary cancer of central nervous system due to its rapid proliferation and high lethality. In this study, a novel poloxamer 188 ‐based drug delivery system, poloxamer 188 ‐poly(1,4,8‐trioxaspiro[4.6]undecan‐9‐one)‐poly(1,3‐dioxan‐2‐one) nanoparticles (P188TT NPs) were developed. The 1 H NMR, Raman and FITC spectra demonstrated that P188TT copolymer was successfully synthesized. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) measurement showed that P188TT NPs had a low CMC. The characterization and bio‐safety assessment verified that P188TT NPs had the appropriate size, zeta potential, good stability, and ideal bio‐safety. In addition, the curcumin‐loaded P188TT NPs (Cur/P188TT NPs) were fabricated and then analyzed by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA). The in vitro release study displayed that the release rate of Cur from Cur/P188TT NPs in pH 6.8 was appreciably faster than that in pH 7.4. The tissue distribution study showed that these NPs had good brain‐targeting efficiency. The cellular uptake assay suggested that P188TT NPs could promote the uptake of Cur in glioma cells. The MTT tests indicated that P188TT NPs could increase the anti‐tumor activity of encapsulated drugs. Therefore, P188TT NPs showed potential as a brain targeting nano‐carrier for glioma therapy, which required further validation in glioma models in vivo.