Alginate-chitosan Coated Lecithin Core Shell Nanoparticles for Curcumin: Effect of Surface Charge on Release Properties and Biological Activities

Alginate-chitosan coated lecithin nanoparticles loaded with Curcumin have been prepared by layer deposition of alginate on lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles and were characterized. The prepared nanoparticles were physicochemically characterized to ensure alginate coating. The encapsulation efficiency and loading of the active nutraceutical were assessed using spectrophotometric measurements. The biological activities of the prepared nanoparticles were assessed by membrane stabilization effect of the nanoparticles on goat RBCs under hypotonic and thermally induced conditions. The biocompatibility of blank nanocarriers was assessed by performing In vitro cytotoxicity studies on HEK cell lines. The release profile of curcumin from alginate uncoated and alginate coated nanoparticles were compared to analyze effect of surface charge of the particles on studied bioactivities. It was found that uniformly sized alginate coated nanoparticles were formed with negative surface charge. It was also observed that there was no significant difference due to surface charge of the nanoparticles on cytotoxicity and membrane stabilization activity. However alginate coating offered more controlled release of the curcumin in acidic conditions suggesting that these alginate coating imparted enteric coating character.