Curcumin and piperine loaded zein-chitosan nanoparticles: Development and in-vitro characterisation

It was succeeded to prepare curcumin and piperine loaded zein-chitosan nanoparticles having a mean particle size of approximately 500 nm and high encapsulation efficencies for curcumin (89%) and piperine (87%). Using a curcumin concentration of 10-25 µg/ml resulted in reduction of the viability of approximately 50% of the neuroblastoma cells. The here developed nanoparticle formulation consisting of solely natural compounds showed good cytotoxic effects and is a promising approach with appropriate properties for final consumption.