Evaluation of In-Vitro Release Kinetic and Mechanisms of Curcumin Loaded-Cockle Shell-Derived Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles

Curcumin has restrained clinical applications due to poor bioavailability. This study aimed to synthesize cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate (aragonite) nanoparticles (CSCaCO3NP) for delivery of curcumin and to evaluate its kinetic release in vitro. CSCaCO3NP was synthesized and conjugated with curcumin (Cur-CSCaCO3NP) using a simple top down approach and characterized for its physicochemical properties as a potential curcumin carrier. In vitro release profile was assessed using dialysis bag membrane method. The release data were fitted to Korsmeyer-Peppas, Zero order and Higuchi models to evaluate the mechanism of release pattern. A spherical shaped CSCaCO3NP with a surface area of 14.48±0.1 m2/g, average mean diameter size of 21.38±2.7 nm and a zeta potential of -18.7 mV was synthesized which has a high loading content and encapsulation efficiency. The FT-IR and XRD revealed less observable changes on the peaks after conjugation. In vitro kinetic release profile demonstrated sustained release and best fitted to the Higuchi equation model. The results of this study showed the capacity of the synthesized CSCaCO3NP to encapsulate curcumin efficiently with a stable release in vitro. This could give an insight and supportive ideas on the potentials of CSCaCO3NP for curcumin delivery. Therefore, CSCaCO3NP holds future prospects in preclinical framework to enhance curcumin efficacy for oral therapeutic applications.