Synthesis and Characterisation of Functionalised Collagen Nanoparticles and their Applications in Drug Delivery

Abstract

The effectiveness of curcumin in treating cerebral ischemia and liver cirrhosis has been reported in recent studies. However, its mode of action is still not defined. The objective of the present study is to formulate collagen curcumin nanocomposites which will work effectively against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and liver damage. Ischemic and liver injury is followed by inflammatory damage and oxidative stress, which together contribute a lot in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia and liver cirrhosis and may be considered a good target for treatment. The present study focused on examining the effectiveness of collagen curcumin nanocomposites stabilized by increasing the degree of crosslinking in reducing oxidative stress associated with brain and liver injury resulting from cerebral ischemia and liver cirrhosis. The collagen nanoparticles were prepared by conjugating collagen on the surface of Tween©80 micelles, and further stabilizing them using crosslinkers. The effectiveness of the prepared nanocomposite was validated by performing infarct analysis followed by biochemical, behavioral, histopathological and immunohistochemical studies and biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical studies for liver. The outcomes of this study are promising for the use of collagen curcumin nanocomposites in showing both neuroprotective and hepatoprotective potential in treating ischemic and liver injury. newline newlineSilymarin is a bioactive constituent isolated from milk thistle (Silybum marinum). Since its discovery, silymarin has been considered a gold standard drug in treating ailments related to the liver, resulting from alcohol consumption and viral hepatitis. This hepatoprotective nature of silymarin arises out of antioxidative and tissue regenerating properties of silymarin. However, several recent studies have established the neuroprotective link of silymarin, too. Thus, the current investigation was aimed at exploring the neuroprotective effect and hepatoprotective effect of nanosilymarin