Formation, characterization and application of arginine-modified chitosan/γ-poly glutamic acid nanoparticles as carrier for curcumin

A novel nanoparticle (NP) delivery carrier for curcumin based on electrostatic 6-deoxy-6-arginine modified chitosan (DAC) assembled by γ-poly-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) was prepared. The NP structure was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interactions between DAC and γ-PGA were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The sustained release kinetics of curcumin-loaded NPs was investigated in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. After exposed to heating, pH, and NaCl aqueous solution, the stabilities of both normal and curcumin-loaded NPs were determined. The results showed that NPs achieved a high encapsulation efficiency (79.5%) and loading capacity (11.31%) for curcumin. The curcumin-loaded NPs displayed a sustained release profile under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Under certain pH (3–9), salt (0–100 mM), and temperature (30 - 60 °C) conditions, the vehicles of curcumin showed better stability. This demonstrates that NPs can be used as stable carriers for curcumin.