Dual Drug Delivery of 5-FU and Curcumin in a Thermoresponsive Hydrogel-Nanoshere Composite for Colorectal Cancer Treatment

New Project

Objective

Primarily, the research aims at fabricating a thermosensitive polymer nanosphere/chitosan hydrogel composite for improved drug delivery of curcumin and 5-fluororacil (5-FU) anti-colon cancer drugs by being administrable through injection due to composite's stimulus-responsive nature.

Output

After the experiment in drug~loaded nanoparticle synthesis using the characterization techniques available, the following data will be obtained:

• Effect of varying synthesis process parameters to the morphology of the nanoparticles through TEM analysis

• Effect of varying synthesis process parameters to the particle size of the 5-FU/curcumin-loaded nanoparticles

• Effect of varying synthesis process parameters to the size distribution of the 5-FU/curcumin-loaded nanoparticles

• Effect of varying synthesis process parameters to the zeta potential of the 5-FUfcurcumin-loaded nanoparticles

From this set of data, a publication can be written and submitted for presentation.

Description

The conventional approach in drug administration to treat colorectal cancer offers toxicity and side effects to the patient. The design on delivering the drug is important aspect to cover 10 eradicate the problem of introducing undesirable effects of the treatment. Innovations to enhance cytotoxicity by combination of drugs, improve rate of drug release through nanoparticle entrapment, and localization of drug administration are solutions to the premise of improved effectivity and lessening detrimental side effects. 

An important aspect to arrive at the composite material is to optimize the process parameters for the synthesis of the 5-FUIcurcumin-loaded nanoparticle. Determining the ideal set of synthesis parameters is equivalent to obtaining the combination of settings which produce nanoparticles that maximize encapsulation efficiency, drug loading capacity, and zeta potential at the same time minimizing the particle size. The effect of the process parameters to these factors, including morphology and size distribution, are vital in the drug vehicle characteristics all directed towards the development of an enhanced drug delivery system.