Fabrication Water Solubility of Curcumin-Mogroside Self-Assembly Nanoparticles: Characterization, Antioxidant, and HepG2 Cell Cytotoxicity Activity Evaluation.

Curcumin (CUR) is a hydrophobic polyphenol from turmeric with various biological activities. However, its poor water solubility limits its application in food and pharmaceutical fields. Here, the curcumin and mogroside (MOG) self-assembled nanoparticles (CUR-MOG NPs) with well water solubility were successfully prepared. The CUR-MOG NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The antioxidant activity and HepG2 cell cytotoxicity were further evaluated. CUR-MOG NPs exhibited a particle size of 59.96 ± 0.852 nm with a polydispersity coefficient of 0.077 ± 0.013. The CUR encapsulation efficiency of CUR-MOG NPs was 86.35% ± 0.877%. The XRD, UV-visible spectrophotometer, FTIR, and TGA confirmed that the π-π stacking, hydrophobic interaction, and hydrogen bonding may contribute to the successfully formed self-assembled nanoparticles. Moreover, nanoparticles had significantly enhanced the water solubility of CUR, increasing from 10.7 ng/mL in pure CUR to 1.135 mg/mL in CUR-MOG NPs. The CUR-MOG NPs demonstrated comparable DPPH radical scavenging activity and HepG2 cell cytotoxicity with those of free CUR. CUR-MOG NPs exhibited a superior water-soluble capability, which may serve as a promising system for improving its applications in food and pharmaceutical products.