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In the present study, novel pH-responsive prodrug nanoparticles based on xylan-curcumin (xyl-cur) conjugate were developed to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin in cancer therapy. The synthesis of xyl-cur conjugate (prodrug) was confirmed by FT-IR, 1 H NMR, UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The xyl-cur prodrug was subsequently self-assembled in to nanoparticles (xyl-cur prodrug NPs) in an aqueous medium with the average particle size 253 nm and the zeta potential of −18.76 mV. The xyl-cur prodrug NPs were highly pH-sensitive in nature and most of the drug was released at lower pH. The interaction of the xyl-cur prodrug NPs with blood components was tested by hemolysis study. The cytotoxic activity of the xyl-cur prodrug NPs against human colon cancer cells (HT-29, HCT-15) demonstrated that the prodrug NPs exhibits greater cytotoxic effect than curcumin. Therefore, these results reveal that xyl-cur prodrug NPs could be a promising candidate for improving the intracellular delivery of curcumin in cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, xylan-5-fluorouracil-1-acetic acid (Xyl-5-FUAC) conjugates as colon specific prodrugs were synthesized and evaluated by in-vitro release study. The chemical stability of the conjugates was performed in acidic (pH 1.2) and basic buffers (pH 7.4), which showed their stability in upper gastrointestinal tract. The in-vitro drug release profiles of the conjugates were studied in the presence of rat’s gastrointestinal contents. The results showed that the low amounts of drug 3–4% and 5–7% were released in gastric and small intestine contents respectively, while 53–61% of the drug was released in cecum and colonic contents. The cytotoxicity studies of the conjugates were also evaluated on human colorectal cancer cell line (HTC-15 and HT-29), which showed that the conjugates are more cytotoxic than the free drug. Therefore the results reveal that Xyl-5-FUAC conjugates are potential candidates for colon specific drug delivery in the treatment of colonic cancer with minimal undesirable side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]