Folate receptors (FRs) highly expressed in breast cancers can be used as a recognized marker for preventing off-target delivery of chemotherapeutics. In this study, folic acid (FA)-grafted chitosan-alginate nanocapsules (CS-Alg-NCs) loaded with turmeric oil (TO) were developed for breast cancer targeting. CS was successfully conjugated with FA via an amide bond with a degree of substitution at 12.86%. The TO-loaded FA-grafted CS-Alg-NCs (TO-FA-CS-Alg-NCs) optimized by Box-Behnken design using response surface methodology had satisfactory characteristics with homogenous particle size (189 nm) and sufficient encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity (35.9% and 1.82%, respectively). In vitro release study of the optimized TO-FA-CS-Alg-NCs showed a sustained TO release following the Korsmeyer-Peppas model with a Fickian diffusion mechanism at pH 5.5 and 7.4. The TO-FA-CS-Alg-NCs showed lower IC₅₀ than ungrafted TO-CS-Alg-NCs and unencapsulated TO against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, suggesting that FA-CS-Alg-NCs can improve anticancer activity of TO through its active targeting to the high FRs expressing breast cancers.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation of the epidermal cells and is clinically presented as thick, bright red to pink plaques with a silvery scale. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using visible light has become of increasing interest in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that a combination of curcumin-loaded chitosan/alginate nanoparticles (Cur-CS/Alg NPs) and blue light emitting diodes (LED) light irradiation effectively suppressed the hyperproliferation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-induced cultured human kerlatinocyte (HaCaT) cells. The Cur-CS/Alg NPs were fabricated by emulsification of curcumin in aqueous sodium alginate solution and ionotropic gelation with calcium chloride and chitosan using an optimized formulation derived from a Box-Behnken design. The fabricated Cur-CS/Alg NPs were characterized for their particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and loading capacity. The surrogate 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, to measure the relative number of viable cells, showed that the CS/Alg NPs were nontoxic to normal HaCaT cells, while 0.05 µg/mL and 0.1 µg/mL of free curcumin and Cur-CS/Alg NPs inhibited the hyperproliferation of HaCaT cells induced by TNF-α. However, the Cur-CS/Alg NPs demonstrated a stronger effect than the free curcumin, especially when combined with blue light irradiation (10 J/cm²) from an LED-based illumination device. Therefore, the Cur-CS/Alg NPs with blue LED light could be potentially developed into an effective PDT system for the treatment of psoriasis.

Curcumin diglutaric acid-loaded polyethylene glycol-chitosan oligosaccharide-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs) were fabricated by co-precipitation and optimized using a Box–Behnken statistical design in order to achieve the minimum size, optimal zeta potential (≥ ±20 mV), and maximum loading efficiency and capacity. The results demonstrated that CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs prepared under the optimal condition were almost spherical in shape with a smooth surface, a diameter of 130 nm, zeta potential of 30.6 mV, loading efficiency of 83.3%, and loading capacity of 8.3%. The vibrating sample magnetometer results of the optimized CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs showed a superparamagnetic behavior. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the CG physically interacted with PEG-CSO-SPIONs. In addition, the CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs could be stored dry for up to 12 weeks or in aqueous solution for up to 4 days at either 4 °C or 25 °C with no loss of stability. The CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs exhibited a sustained release profile up to 72 h under simulated physiological (pH 7.4) and tumor extracellular (pH 5.5) environments. Furthermore, the CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs showed little non-specific protein binding in the simulated physiological environment. The CG-PEG-CSO-SPIONs enhanced the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of CG against human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells compared to free CG, and more CG was delivered to the cells after applying an external magnetic field. The overall results suggest that PEG-CSO-SPIONs have potential to be used as a novel drug delivery system for CG.