Porous discoidal polymeric particles for effective drug delivery minimizing phagocytosis

Curcumin has great potential in cancer treatment and prevention. However, free curcumin for anticancer effect is limited due to its low water solubility and instability. Delivery of free curcumin using biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, such as poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), can improve these undesirable problems. In this study, a top-down fabrication method using PLGA was employed to deliver free curcumin, engineering size, shape, and surface properties. As a result, porous discoidal polymeric particles (DPPs) were produced in ammonium bicarbonate with a hydrodynamic diameter of 5 µm and a negatively charged surface. The loading amount of free curcumin in the porous DPPs was higher than non-porous DPPs. In vitro drug release study showed that curcumin release from porous DPPs was 1.4-fold higher than non-porous ones. The confocal microscopy and flow cytometry results demonstrated that porous DPPs decrease phagocytosis by macrophages than non-porous ones. This study suggests that porous DPPs have significant advantages for effective drug delivery of curcumin, minimizing phagocytosis.