Synthesis of curcumin/polyrhodanine nanocapsules with antimicrobial properties by oxidative polymerization using the Fenton reaction

Curcumin exhibits various biological activities; however, its applications are limited because of its poor water solubility. In this study, we describe an encapsulation process that improves this property using a polyrhodanine shell material synthesized by oxidative polymerization. Unlike the previous methods of oxidative polymerizations, we used the Fenton reaction to introduce a FeCl3/H2O2 combination system. By changing the rhodanine monomer ratio, the curcumin/polyrhodanine nanocapsule (CPR-NC) shell thickness could be controlled. The release behavior of curcumin was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy over time. Antimicrobial tests with curcumin, polyrhodanine, and CPR-NC were performed to analyze the minimum inhibitory concentration and inhibition zones.