Synthesis, Physicochemical Characterization and Antibacterial Assessment of Curcumin/2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles (cAgNPs)

Abstract

The increasing drug-resistance bacterial infections presents a major challenge to public health, highlighting the need for innovative antibacterial strategies. This work explores a dual approach to enhance the antimicrobial activity of curcumin (CUR), a potent natural polyphenol via encapsulation with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) that serves to (i) improve the hydrophobicity of CUR and (ii) also acts as a stabilizer. This CUR/HPβCD complex was further integrated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to obtain superior antibacterial properties. Phase solubility studies and Job’s plot indicated a host-guest stoichiometry of 1:1 CUR/HPβCD complex. XRD and DSC revealed the transition of CUR from crystalline to an amorphous state upon complexation. The formation of CUR/HPβCD-functionalized AgNPs complex (cAgNPs) is confirmed by SEM-EDX, FTIR and 1H-NMR. The antibacterial of the cAgNPs was tested against four common wound-infecting pathogenic microbes Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae and showed promising antibacterial activity compared to control. This dual strategy not only offers an innovative solution for combating multidrug-resistant pathogens but also demonstrates the potential of nano-formulations in overcoming current limitations of conventional antibiotics especially for wound healing application.