Bovine Serum Albumin-Based Nanoparticles: Preparation, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity Enhancement of Three Main Curcuminoids from Curcuma longa

Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) lipid hybrid nanoparticles are part of the new solutions to overcome low bioavailability of poor solubility drugs such as curcuminoids, which possess multiple biological advantages; however, they are counterbalanced by its short biological half-life. In this line, we prepared the three main curcuminoids: curcumin (CUR), desmethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDM)-loaded BSA nanoparticles. The three formulations were characterized by the average size, size distribution, crystallinity, weight loss, drug release, kinetic mechanism, and antioxidant activity. The developed method produced CUR-, DMC-, and BDM-loaded BSA nanoparticles with a size average of 15.83 ± 0.18, 17.29 ± 3.34, and 15.14 ± 0.14 nm for CUR, DMC, and BDM loaded BSA, respectively. FT-IR analysis confirmed the encapsulation, and TEM images showed their spherical shape. The three formulations achieved encapsulation efficiency upper to 96% and an exhibited significantly increased release from the nanoparticle compared to free compounds in water. The antioxidant activity was enhanced as well, in agreement with the improvement in water release, obtaining IC(50) values of 9.28, 11.70, and 15.19 µg/mL for CUR, DMC, and BDM loaded BSA nanoparticles, respectively, while free curcuminoids exhibited considerably lower antioxidant values in aqueous solution. Hence, this study shows promises for such hybrid systems, which have been ignored so far, regarding proper encapsulation, protection, and delivery of curcuminoids for the development of functional foods and pharmaceuticals.