Synergistic Activity of Anticancer Polyphenols Embedded in Amphiphilic Dendrimer Nanoparticles

Dendritic polymer nanoparticles (NPs) are promising vehicles for drug delivery. Most dendrimer NPs, however, exhibit positive surface charge which make them, in many instances, cytotoxic. We constructed noncationic, amphiphilic NPs embedding curcumin and resveratrol, natural polyphenols exhibiting anticancer properties. The curcumin/resveratrol/dendrimer both effectively shielded the embedded facilitated their slow release and, notably, targeted cancer cells. experimental data trace cell toxicity of to impairment mitochondrial functions, specifically giving rise enhanced intracellular calcium release, inhibition cytochrome c oxidase enzyme activity, decreased membrane potential, perturbation. Importantly, synergism between dendrimer-NP-embedded resveratrol was observed, as more pronounced death disruption were induced by compared either freely dissolved or incorporating separately. This work suggests that encapsulating may constitute a therapeutic platform.