Many therapeutic compounds from natural sources display potent activities in vitro, but yield lackluster results in vivo. Curcumin, a diphenol obtained from the turmeric plant Curcuma longa, is one such compound. Curcumin has shown many impressive therapeutic effects in vitro, including but not limited to anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-microbial activities, but has low bioavailability and is quickly eliminated from the body when administered as a drug due to its abysmal water solubility. Drug delivery systems which permit a prolonged release greatly can increase the efficacy of such therapeutic compounds with low bioavailability. Poly (lactic-co- glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable polymer which has been studied extensively for drug delivery. We have generated curcumin loaded PLGA nanofibers via solution blow spinning, using a commercial air brush and compressed CO<sub>2,</sub> for use as an implant/suture for the treatment of cancer, microbial infections, and the promotion of wound healing. These nanofibers are able to gradually degrade in vitro and in vivo to provide a slow release of curcumin, as well as to solubilize the curcumin in aqueous solutions to vastly increase efficacy of delivery. We have a characterized the nanofibers via scanning electron microscopy for morphology; curcumin embedding via infrared spectroscopy; anti-cancer activity via the WST assay; anti-bacterial activity via the agar diffusion assay, and promotion of wound healing via the scratch assay.

Curcumin loaded PLGA nanofibers for the treatment of cancer, microbial infections, and the promotion of wound healing

254th National Meeting (2017)

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