Curcumin loaded TPGS micelles for nose to brain drug delivery: in vitro and in vivo studies

The effective treatment of brain cancer is hindered by the poor transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the low penetration across the blood-tumour barrier (BTB). The main objective of this work was to the development of stable micelles of curcumin which may enhance the brain targeting of CRM via intranasal administration. Curcumin-loaded D-alpha tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) micelles were prepared by thin film hydration method and characterized for their particle sizes and zeta potential. The morphological study was done by transmission electron microscopy. The particle sizes of the curcumin-loaded targeted micelles were 146.8 nm. About 98.19 +/- 1.2% of drug encapsulation efficiency was achieved with micelles. The in vivo study results indicated that curcumin loaded TPGS micelles could be a promising carrier for brain targeting in comparison to the non-targeted micelles.