Curcumin-loaded nanofibers for targeting endometriosis in the peritoneum of a mouse model

Endometriosis is a common, chronic gynecological disorder associated with ongoing pelvic pain, infertility, and adhesions in reproductive age women. Current therapeutic strategies are not effective and the recurrent nature of endometriosis makes it difficult to treat. In this study, we have designed a drug delivery system to control sustained and prolonged release of curcumin in the peritoneum and pelvic cavity of a mouse model of endometriosis. Poly ε-Caprolactone (PCL) and poly ethylene glycol (PEG) polymers were used to synthesize curcumin loaded nanofibers. After scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of the nanofiber’s morphology, we evaluated the drug release profile and in vitro degradation rate of the curcumin-loaded nanofibers. Next, we tested these nanofibers in vivo in the peritoneum of an endometriosis mouse model to determine their anti-endometriosis effects. Histological evaluations were also performed. Curcumin loaded nanofibers were successfully synthesized in the 8 and 10 wt% polymers. The release test of the curcumin-loaded nanofibers showed that approximately 23% of the loaded curcumin was released during 30 min, 35% at 24 h, and 50% at 30 days. Endometriosis was successfully induced in Balb/c mice, as noted by the observed characteristics of endometriosis in all of the mice and confirmation of endometriosis by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. In vivo experiments showed the ability of these implanted curcumin loaded nanofibers to mitigate endometriosis. We observed a considerable reduction in the endometrial glands and stroma, along with significant reduction in infiltration of inflammatory cells. Implantable curcumin loaded nanofibers successfully mitigated intraperitoneal endometriosis. Similar content being viewed by others

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This article has been extracted from the thesis written by SB (Grant No. 94-04-87-31010). This research was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. The proposal has been approved by the research ethics committee and was found to be in accordance to the ethical principles and the national norms and standards for conducting Medical Research in Iran. Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding authors Ethics declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Additional information Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Boroumand, S., Hosseini, S., Pashandi, Z. et al. Curcumin-loaded nanofibers for targeting endometriosis in the peritoneum of a mouse model. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 31, 8 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-019-6337-4 Received: Accepted: Published: Version of record: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-019-6337-4