s Doping of ZnO Nanoparticles with Curcumin: pH Dependent Release and DPPH Scavenging Activity of Curcumin in the Nanocomposites

Background and Objective: Curcumin doped ZnO (Zn(cur)O) has been successfully synthesized and characterized through a simple method. Method: Formed Zn(Cur)O nanocomposites have been found to be stable and crystalline in a wurtzite hexagonal structure. The release of curcumin from the Zn(cur)O is triggered by pH where basic environment triggers maximum release compared to acidic and neutral conditions. There is a 2-fold enhancement in the rate constant during curcumin release from Zn(cur)O in pH 8 compared to that in pH 6 or pH 5. The drug release profile of curcumin from the Zn(cur)O obeys the Higuchi model. The antioxidant activity of Zn(cur)O has been examined according to DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results and Conclusion: As expected, free radical scavenging activity of Zn(cur)O on DPPH increases with Zn(cur)O concentration, thus, Zn(cur)O demonstrates moderate antioxidant effect by scavenging 70% at 2 mg/mL of Zn(cur)O, which indicates that Zn(cur)O can be potentially utilized as a vehicle for curcumin release by keeping its biological activities intact.