Cytotoxic effects investigation of nanomicelle and free curcuminoids against cancer and normal cells

Abstract Curcumin, which is derived from the turmeric rhizomes (curcuma longa) as a natural polyphenol, is a substantially lipophilic molecule. This commonly used substance is employed as a spice and coloring agent in food and contains potent antioxidant, as well as anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative tumor activities. The developed nanomicelle formulations of curcumin are used to promote the bio-availability and solubility of the above-mentioned lipophilic molecule. The present investigation aimed to examine the anti-proliferative activity of nanomicelle and free curcuminoids by using different cancer and normal cells using a tetrazolium dye-based assay. To this end, various cell lines were treated with nanomicelle or free curcuminoids at different concentration of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 µM for 48 h at 37 ºC. Our results demonstrated that the half maximal inhibitory concentrations of the micellar form of curcuminoids for different cancer cell lines were as high as its levels measured for its free form but in normal cells, the toxicity of nanomicelles is lower than free form of curcuminoids.