Abstract

Halloysite is a nanostructured clay mineral withhollow tubular structure, which has recently found an importantrole as delivery system for drugs or other active molecules. Oneof these is curcumin, main constituent in the rhizome of the plantCurcuma Longa, with a series of useful pharmacologicalactivities, hindered by its poor bioavalaibility and solubility inwater. In this study, Halloysite Clay Nanotubes (HNTs) werecharacterized in terms of both structure and biocompatibilityand they were used for curcumin delivery to cancer cells. Theperformed 3 -(4,5 - dimethythiazol - 2- yl) - 2,5 - diphenyl -tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that HNTs have a highbiocompatibility, also when coated with polymers, whilecurcumin is highly toxic for cancer cells. The release kinetics ofcurcumin from HNTs was investigated by the dialysis bagmethod, showing a slow and constant release of the drug, whichcan be further controlled by adding layers of polyelectrolytes tothe external surface of the tubes. Successful polymer coating wasfollowed by Zeta potential. The Trypan Blue assay showed acytotoxic effect of loaded HNTs, proportional to theconcentration of tubes and the incubation time. Successful HNTsuptake by breast cancer cells was demonstrated by ConfocalLaser Scanning Microscopy images. All results indicate thatHalloysite Nanotubes are a promising carriers for polyphenoldelivery and release.

Autore Pugliese

• Casciaro Sergio , Nobile Concetta , Leporatti Stefano

Tutti gli autori

• C. Dionisi; N. Hanafy; C. Nobile; M.L. De Giorgi; R. Rinaldi; S. Casciaro; Y.M. Lvov; S. Leporatti

Titolo volume/Rivista

IEEE transactions on nanotechnology

Anno di pubblicazione

2016

ISSN

1536-125X

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Numero di citazioni Scopus

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Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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