POS8-0914
Curcumin polymer-decorated cationic hydroxyethylcellulose nanocomplexes for lung cancer therapy
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Jinkee HONG
Ki Su KIM
Presenter(s)
Soye Kim (Seoul National University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Lung cancer is a fatal disease with low survival rates, due to late diagnosis and therapeutic resistance. In particular, the multidrug resistance inherent to lung cancer significantly limits the efficacy of existing therapies. Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound, has been reported to inhibit P-glycoprotein expression, increasing intracellular drug accumulation and inducing cancer cell death. Accordingly, a polymer-based gene-drug nanocomplex delivery strategy is proposed to improve the low solubility and chemical stability of curcumin.
A polymeric delivery platform was designed by functionalizing a polymer backbone with phenylboronic acid (PBA) groups and conjugating curcumin to form polyPBA-CUR (pPBC). A gene–polymer polyplex was first prepared using a cationic polymer and therapeutic gene, followed by surface coating of pPBC to enable simultaneous gene and curcumin delivery. The chemical composition of pPBC was analyzed by ¹H NMR, and curcumin-PBA interaction was assessed by absorption spectroscopy. Polyplex morphology and size variation before and after pPBC coating were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the CellTiter-Glo assay; cellular uptake and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry in representative cancer cell lines.
Compared to free curcumin with a maximum absorbance at 430 nm, pPBC exhibited a red-shifted absorbance peak at 490 nm, indicating curcumin–boronic ester conjugation. TEM and DLS showed a stable hydrodynamic polyplex of about 200 nm after pPBC coating. In cytotoxicity assays, pPBC alone showed high cell viability in both NIH-3T3 and A549 cells; pPBC-coated polyplexes selectively reduced the viability of A549 while maintaining high viability in normal cells. Cellular uptake increased up to 92% following pPBC coating. This study presents a polymer-based codelivery platform that enables stable curcumin conjugation and enhanced intracellular delivery.
A polymeric delivery platform was designed by functionalizing a polymer backbone with phenylboronic acid (PBA) groups and conjugating curcumin to form polyPBA-CUR (pPBC). A gene–polymer polyplex was first prepared using a cationic polymer and therapeutic gene, followed by surface coating of pPBC to enable simultaneous gene and curcumin delivery. The chemical composition of pPBC was analyzed by ¹H NMR, and curcumin-PBA interaction was assessed by absorption spectroscopy. Polyplex morphology and size variation before and after pPBC coating were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the CellTiter-Glo assay; cellular uptake and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry in representative cancer cell lines.
Compared to free curcumin with a maximum absorbance at 430 nm, pPBC exhibited a red-shifted absorbance peak at 490 nm, indicating curcumin–boronic ester conjugation. TEM and DLS showed a stable hydrodynamic polyplex of about 200 nm after pPBC coating. In cytotoxicity assays, pPBC alone showed high cell viability in both NIH-3T3 and A549 cells; pPBC-coated polyplexes selectively reduced the viability of A549 while maintaining high viability in normal cells. Cellular uptake increased up to 92% following pPBC coating. This study presents a polymer-based codelivery platform that enables stable curcumin conjugation and enhanced intracellular delivery.
