Development, characterization and optimization of Berberine and Curcumin loaded PCL- Chitosan nanoparticles by electrospraying for cancer drug delivery

Combinations of Berberine and curcumin may have numerous advantages over single drug therapy for cancer treatment. In this study, we synthesized berberine- and curcumin-loaded PCL-Chitosan nanoparticles using coaxial electrospray technique (CES) so that the delivery of berberine to HCT 116 cancer cells could be greatly improved. It was demonstrated through response surface methodology (RSM) that nanoparticles possessing the mean size and particle size distribution of 340 nm and 71 nm, respectively, could be fabricated. Encapsulation efficiency of 76% and 88% could be also provided for curcumin and berberine in the optimized nanoparticles, respectively. Release of berberine and curcumin drugs from the fabricated nanoparticles was determined at pH 7.4 and 5.8, by which it was observed that berberine and curcumin could provide a significantly slower release rate at the physiological pH in comparison with the acidic one. Furthermore, nanoparticles could provide an enhanced cytotoxic efficacy against HCT116 cells, while NIH3T3 cells were less affected via the prepared nanoparticles. A novel strategy has been introduced in this research for the synthesis of state-of-the-art core-shell nanoparticles by using the CES process so that not only the efficiency but also the controlled release of berberine and curcumin could be considerably enhanced.