The synthesis and development of poly(ε-caprolactone) conjugated polyoxyethylene sorbitan oleate-based micelles for curcumin drug release: an in vitro study on breast cancer cells

Background: it is now known that curcumin (Cur) has a broad range of biological properties; however, photosensitivity, as well as low bioavailability and short half-life, have limited its clinical application. To overcome these problems the synthesis of poly(ε-caprolactone)–Tween 80 (PCL–T) copolymers was performed. Methods: the copolymers of PCL–T were created using the solvent evaporation/extraction technique. Then Cur was loaded in PCL–T micelles (PCL–T-M) by a self-assembly method. The characterization of copolymer and micelles was assessed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)HNMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods. The MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay was used to indicate the cytotoxicity of the free Cur, PCL–T-M, and Cur-loaded PCL–T-M. Results: TEM analysis showed monodispersed and spherical shapes with a size of about 90 nm. Cur was released from PCL–T-M at pH 7.4 (45%) and 5.5 (90%) during 6 days. After 24 and 48 h, the IC50 of the free Cur, PCL–T-M, and Cur-loaded PCL–T-M on MCF-7 cells were 80.86 and 54.45 μg mL(−1), 278.30 and 236.19 μg mL(−1), 45.47 and 19.05 μg mL(−1), respectively. Conclusion: this study showed that, in the same concentration, the effectiveness of the Cur-loaded PCL–T-M is more than the free Cur, and the nano-system has been able to overcome delivery obstacles of Cur drug. Thus, PCL–T-M can be a candidate as a drug carrier for the delivery of Cur and future therapeutic investigations on breast cancer.