Curcumin (CM) has multiple pharmacological activities including anti-fungal activity, but its clinical application is limited due to low solubility in aqueous media, poor bioavailability and extensive first pass metabolism. We aimed to resolve the limitation and enhance antifungal activity of CM using nanotechnology. Using silk fibroin (SF) as a carrier, we fabricated curcumin-silk fibroin nanoparticles (CM-SF NPs) by solution enhanced dispersion of supercritical CO₂ (SEDS) technique. The characterization of CM-SF NPs was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermo gravimetric apparatus (TGA). Following characterization of the NPs, we evaluated the antifungal activity of CM-SF NPs against Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo. A SF-based drug delivery system (CM-SF NPs, 85 ± 15 nm) was established by SEDS. Compared to original CM, water solubility of CM-SF NPs was improved, and its antifungal activity was enhanced. The natural compound-loaded SF nanoparticles may be a promising therapeutic candidate for fungal infection.

中文翻译：

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姜黄素-丝素蛋白纳米粒子增强体外和体内抗白色念珠菌活性。

姜黄素（CM）具有多种药理活性，包括抗真菌活性，但由于在水性介质中的溶解度低，生物利用度差和首过代谢广泛，其临床应用受到了限制。我们旨在解决纳米技术的局限性并增强CM的抗真菌活性。我们以丝素蛋白（SF）为载体，通过溶液增强超临界CO 2（SEDS）分散制备了姜黄素-丝素蛋白纳米颗粒（CM-SF NPs）。使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM），傅立叶变换红外光谱（FTIR），差示扫描量热仪（DSC）和热重分析仪（TGA）分析了CM-SF NP的特征。NP的表征后，我们评估了CM-SF NP在体外对白色念珠菌的抗真菌活性。和体内。SEDS建立了基于SF的药物递送系统（CM-SF NP，85±15 nm）。与原始CM相比，CM-SF NP的水溶性得到了改善，并且其抗真菌活性得到增强。天然化合物负载的SF纳米颗粒可能是真菌感染的有希望的治疗候选物。