Curcumin loaded PLGA-poloxamer blend nanoparticles induce cell cycle arrest in mesothelioma cells

Our plain-English summary of Curcumin loaded PLGA-poloxamer blend nanoparticles induce cell cycle arrest in mesothelioma cells, by L. Mayol, C. Serri, C. Menale, et al (European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2015).

The study

• Authors: L. Mayol, C. Serri, C. Menale, S. Crispi, M.T. Piccolo, L. Mita, S. Giarra, M. Forte, A. Saija, M. Biondi, D.G. Mita
• Journal: European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics
• Published: 2015;93:37-45
• Cited by: 56 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The pharmacological potential of curcumin (CURC) is severely restricted because of its low water solubility/absorption, short half-life and poor bioavailability. To overcome these issues, CURC-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) were produced by a double emulsion technique. In particular, NPs were made up of an amphiphilic blend of poloxamers and PLGA to confer stealth properties to the NPs to take advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Different surface properties of NPs made up of bare PLGA and PLGA/poloxamer blend were confirmed by the different interactions of these NPs with serum proteins and also by their ability to be internalized by mesothelioma cell line. The uptake of PLGA/poloxamer NPs induces a persistent block in G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle up to 72 h, thus overcoming the drug tolerance phenomenon, normally evidenced with free CURC.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This was a laboratory study. It did not study people or asbestos exposure. The authors made tiny particles (nanoparticles) from a polymer called PLGA, either alone (called P) or blended with compounds called poloxamers (called PP), and loaded them with curcumin. They tested the particles on a human mesothelioma cell line, MSTO-211H, grown in dishes. Both particle types entered the cells, though PP particles accumulated less inside them. In cell culture medium, P particles increased in diameter to about 230 nm within 8 hours, while PP particle diameters stayed basically stable. Particles without curcumin did not significantly change cell growth compared with untreated cells. Free curcumin at 20 micromolar inhibited cell growth up to 48 hours, after which the cells returned to a normal growth rate. With curcumin-loaded PP particles, the share of cells halted in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle rose from 56.8% at 12 hours to 71.1% at 72 hours. The authors concluded that curcumin-loaded PP particles caused a lasting cell cycle block up to 72 hours. They linked this to the particles releasing curcumin slowly over time.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory (in vitro) study: preparing and characterizing curcumin-loaded nanoparticles and testing them on cultured mesothelioma cells
• Who was studied: Human mesothelioma cell line MSTO-211H, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection, grown in culture dishes; no human subjects
• Exposure: Not asbestos. The cells were treated with curcumin at 20 micromolar, given either as free curcumin or loaded into P (PLGA) or PP (PLGA/poloxamer blend) nanoparticles. Unloaded particles and untreated cells were used as comparisons.
• Main results:
  • PP nanoparticles enclosed about 90% of the curcumin complex (Table 1: 90.0 plus or minus 2.1% for PP versus 72.1 plus or minus 3.2% for P)
  • In cell culture medium with serum, P nanoparticle diameters rapidly increased to about 230 nm within 8 hours (data not shown), while PP nanoparticle diameters stayed basically stable over the experiment
  • In release tests, about 60% of the curcumin was released in a first 24-hour burst, followed by slower release
  • Both P and PP nanoparticles entered the mesothelioma cells; PP nanoparticles accumulated less in the cytoplasm than P nanoparticles
  • Nanoparticles without curcumin produced no statistically significant difference in cell growth compared with untreated control cells up to 72 hours
  • Free curcumin at 20 micromolar reduced cell viability by up to 50% after 72 hours in preliminary dose tests. In the growth experiments it inhibited cell growth up to 48 hours, after which the cells returned to a normal proliferation rate.
  • With curcumin-loaded PP nanoparticles, the percentage of cells arrested in the G0/G1 phase increased from 56.8% at 12 hours to 71.1% at 72 hours
  • With free curcumin, cells blocked in G0/G1 rose from 60% at 12 hours to 80% at 24 hours. At 48 hours the block was released and about 40% of cells accumulated in G2/M. By 72 hours the cell cycle profile was comparable to untreated controls.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, although PP nanoparticles were taken up less by MSTO-211H cells, curcumin-loaded PP nanoparticles induced a persistent G0/G1 cell cycle block up to 72 hours. They saw this as overcoming the drug tolerance seen with free curcumin, and related it to the particles' sustained release of curcumin.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma.

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