Curcumin encapsulation in self-assembled nanoparticles based on amphiphilic stearic acid-grafted inulin: Preparation, characterization, and functional evaluation.

The clinical application of curcumin (CUR) is restricted by its low solubility, instability, and poor bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel stearic acid-grafted inulin-based nano-delivery system for CUR encapsulation. The structure of stearoyl inulin (SA-IN) was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, and contact angle measurements. CUR-loaded SA-IN nanoparticles (CUR@SA-IN NPs) demonstrated a high encapsulation efficiency of 91.59 % ± 3.26 %, nanoscale dispersion, and an average particle size of 190.6 ± 11.2 nm. The CUR@SA-IN NPs exhibited excellent stability and sustained-release properties. Compared with free CUR, the minimum inhibitory concentration of CUR@SA-IN NPs against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus decreased by 1.5- and 1.6-fold, respectively. The antioxidant activity increased by 2.34-fold with CUR@SA-IN NPs compared with free CUR. Also, the NPs showed superior efficacy in suppressing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. The cellular uptake studies confirmed enhanced CUR absorption from the NPs compared with free CUR. The CUR@SA-IN NPs exhibited good biocompatibility. These findings highlighted the potential of amphiphilic SA-IN as an effective delivery vector for hydrophobic bioactive compounds, thereby offering a promising approach for developing efficient nanoparticle-based delivery systems.