Development of multifunctional systems based on polymeric nanoparticles for colon-specific release of curcumin and evaluation of biological performance in vitro in colorectal cancer cells

• Grant number: 22/11873-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: July 21, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Marlus Chorilli
• Grantee: Mariana Carlomagno de Paula
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The treatment of colorectal cancer (CC), although effective, is associated with numerous limitations, such as the lack of specificity/selectivity of drugs, leading to systemic side effects. Curcumin (CUR) has been the subject of several researches for the treatment of different types of cancers due to its antitumor activity; however, it has low aqueous solubility, low stability, and problems related to its pharmacokinetics. Nanoparticles (NPs) made up of natural polysaccharides such as chitosan (QS), alginate (ALG) and hyaluronic acid (HA) represent a promising approach for a more selective and specific treatment against CC, due to their mucoadhesiveness,selective degradability, active targeting, aiming at oral drug delivery to the colon. Therefore, the incorporation of CUR in NPs based on QS/AH/ALG represents a promising strategy to protect against degradation, favoring its targeting to the tumor region. Thus, this research project aims to develop NPs based on QS and AH, coated with ALG for colon-specific release of CUR, exploring oral administration as a potential route for the local treatment of CC. To evaluate its effectiveness against CC therapy, the characterization of the systems and validation of the methodologies will be carried out, as well as in vitro biological assays using colorectal cancer cell lines.