College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou, 362000, Fujian, P. R. China.
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, #8-03, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2019 Mar;40(5):e1800216. doi: 10.1002/marc.201800216. Epub 2018 Aug 7.
As a herb of the ginger family, the turmeric plant has been used as spice and colorant in the Oriental countries. The rhizome part of the plant is rich in curcumin, which has been proven to be the main ingredient responsible for turmeric's biological effects. Most research endeavors have been upon the investigation of pharmaceutical activities of curcumin, yet the fluorescence of curcumin is a bit far from well-studied. The major drawbacks associated with curcumin are its poor aqueous solubility and low stability. In this communication, the encapsulation of fluorescent turmeric extract into polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) for bioimaging and antibacterial applications is reported. Through poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) encapsulation, solubility of curcumin is greatly increased, and the biodegradable nature of PLGA further enhances the biocompatibility of curcumin. These Cur-PLGA NPs are successfully demonstrated to be efficient fluorescence probes for bioimaging, and promising for antibacterial application.
作为姜科的一种植物，姜黄植物被用作香料和着色剂在东方国家。该植物的根茎部分富含姜黄素，已被证明是姜黄生物效应的主要成分。大多数研究都致力于研究姜黄素的药物活性，但姜黄素的荧光性还远未得到充分研究。与姜黄素相关的主要缺点是其水溶性差和稳定性低。在本通讯中，报道了将荧光姜黄提取物包封到聚合物纳米粒子（NPs）中用于生物成像和抗菌应用。通过聚（D，L-乳酸-共-乙醇酸）（PLGA）包封，大大提高了姜黄素的溶解度，并且 PLGA 的可生物降解性进一步提高了姜黄素的生物相容性。这些 Cur-PLGA NPs 被成功证明为生物成像的有效荧光探针，并且有望用于抗菌应用。
