TITLE:
Evaluation of Albuminated Curcumin as Soluble Drug Form to Control Growth of Cancer Cells in Vitro
AUTHORS:
Christina Thomas, Lakshmi Sreedharan Pillai, Lissy Krishnan
KEYWORDS:
Curcumin, Anticancer Drug, Aqueous Solubility, Bioavailability, Albumin Drug Conjugation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.5 No.7,
June
24,
2014
ABSTRACT: Curcumin (Curc) is well
known for its anticancer activity, but its poor solubility in aqueous medium is
a major concern for little therapeutic outcome. Therefore, the effort to
improve its bioavailability is a major research interest. The current study
aimed at conjugation of Curc to serum albumin (Alb) to increase aqueous
solubility of the former without affecting its drug action on cancer cell lines
and primary cells in culture. Conditions for preparation of albumin-curcumin
(Alb-Curc) conjugate were standardized to obtain pure and stable drug. The
product was obtained in sufficient quantity to test its effect on cells in
culture at different doses. Briefly, the conjugate was prepared by mixing Curc
dissolved in DMSO with the Alb dissolved in phosphate buffered saline;
conjugate was purified by gel filtration chromatography and was analyzed using
UV-Vis spectroscopy for characteristic peaks of both molecules. The conjugate
was added to culture medium to identify the effect of conjugate on cell cycling
and apoptosis. Albuminated curcumin that showed 100-fold higher solubility than
free Curc was stable and inhibitory to proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest
and apoptosis. The conjugate showed apoptotic effects on endothelial cells
indicating its anti angiogenic property. Primary fibroblast growth was also
inhibited but at the higher dose. The in
vitro results suggest that
Alb-Curc which is free of insoluble native drug may find application in cancer
therapy after appropriate in
vivo evaluations.