Curcumin-loaded hybrid particles for drug delivery applications

The development of biopolymeric drug carriers is gaining interest due to their biocompatibility. Porous particles are the preferred drug-loading choice due to the high surface area. Lipids and collagen are widely explored biopolymers for various tissue engineering applications as drug carriers. In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop porous particles using collagen and lipid through a freeze-drying technique with cyclohexane and t-butyl alcohol as solvents. Porous particle formation has been confirmed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in three different solvent ratios of cyclohexane and t-butyl alcohol viz., 1:2, 2:1, 1:1 respectively. The particle size of the lipid-collagen particles prepared from different solvent ratios was found to be 1032nm, 1612 nm, and 589 nm respectively. The mean pore diameter of prepared particles in the 1:2 and 2:1 solvent mixture was found to be 3.64 and 3.97 nm respectively. Similarly, the lipid -collagen interaction has been ascertained through Transmission Electron Micreoscope (TEM) image. The influence of lipid on collagen has been studied using a fibrillogenesis assay and found that a higher incubation period influences the self-assembling process of the collagen. However, it aids in particle formation. Furthermore, a model drug curcumin has been loaded in the prepared particles and assessed for loading efficiency and release. The drug release studies confirms that a sustained drug release pattern acts as a prominent drug carrier for therapeutic applications prepared through the simple freeze-drying technique.