The Optimization of Curcumin-Capped Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis for FLuc-mRNA Delivery to Cervical Cancer Cells in vitro
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted interest owing to their widespread biological and technological applications. AuNPs can enhance the targeted delivery of photosensitive and therapeutic material to tumor cells. Curcumin, a bioactive secondary metabolite isolated from Curcuma longa, exhibits favorable pharmacological properties, enabling synergistic activity with the therapeutic cargo. This study aimed to determine the optimal concentration of curcumin needed to produce curcumin-capped AuNPs that would best deliver FLuc-mRNA to cervical cancer cells in vitro. AuNPs were reduced using varying concentrations of curcumin, functionalized with poly-L-lysine (PLL) for mRNA binding, and stabilized using polyethylene glycol. Nanoparticle characterization using UV-vis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the synthesis and functionalization of the AuNPs. Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of spherical AuNPs of a favorable size for gene therapy. Adequate compaction and nuclease protection of the mRNA by the AUNPs was evident using binding and nuclease protection assays. Significant transgene expression was observed using the luciferase reporter gene assay, while the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay revealed high cell viability (77%) in vitro. Overall, 1 mM curcumin-capped AuNPs demonstrated the most favorable attributes of a gene delivery vehicle to be…
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