Curcumin-Loaded Niosomes Downregulate mRNA Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Markers Involved in Asthma: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

<p><b>Aim:</b> In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in niosomes (Nio-Curc) to increase its effectiveness for the treatment of asthma. <b>Materials & methods:</b> The formulation underwent various physicochemical characterization experiments, an in vitro release study, molecular simulations and was evaluated for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. <b>Results:</b> Results showed that Nio-Curc had a mean particle size of 284.93 ± 14.27 nm, zeta potential of -46.93 and encapsulation efficacy of 99.62%, which demonstrates optimized physicochemical characteristics. Curcumin release in vitro could be sustained for up to 24 h. Additionally, Nio-Curc effectively reduced mRNA transcript expression of pro-inflammatory markers; IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α in immortalized human airway basal cell line (BCi-NS1.1). <b>Conclusion:</b> In this study, we have demonstrated that Nio-Curc mitigated the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers in an in vitro study, which could be applied to treatment of asthma with further studies.</p>