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Transdermal delivery of curcumin-loaded supramolecular hydrogels for dermatitis treatment

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Abstract

Curcumin (CUR) is a hydrophobic polyphenol with anti-inflammatory activity. However, its low water-solubility and poor skin permeation limited its application in the treatment of dermititis. CUR-loaded micelles were prepared using thin membrane hydration method with methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (ε-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL) as carrier material. The drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency were 12.14 ± 0.33 and 93.57 ± 1.67%, respectively. CUR-loaded micelles increased CUR’s water-solubility to 1.87 mg/mL, being 1.87 × 106-folds higher than native CUR. CUR-loaded supramolecular hydrogels (CUR-H) were prepared through mixing the CUR-loaded micelles solution with α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) solution. The CUR-H presented continuous dissolution behaviour in aqueous medium for 4.5 h. The ex vivo skin permeation test and confocal fluorescence microscopy evaluation confirmed that CUR-H obviously enhanced skin deposition of CUR without drug flux from skin. In vivo experimental results confirmed that the CUR-H was more effective than dexamethasone ointments against croton oil-induced ear edema. The CUR-H composed of MPEG-PCL and α-CD is a promising formulation for skin inflammatory treatment.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province [Grant number ZR2016BL15]; Science and Technology Project of University of Jinan [Grant number XKY1732]; and Shandong Talents Team Cultivation Plan of University Preponderant Discipline [Grant number 10027].

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Feilong Zhou, Zhimei Song

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  1. School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, No. 336 West Road of Nanxinzhuang, Shandong Province, 250022, Jinan, China

    Feilong Zhou, Zhimei Song, Yi Wen, Hongmei Xu, Li Zhu & Runliang Feng

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Zhou, F., Song, Z., Wen, Y. et al. Transdermal delivery of curcumin-loaded supramolecular hydrogels for dermatitis treatment. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 30, 11 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-018-6215-5

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