The utilization of natural polysaccharides for the development of nanostructured systems aligns with the principles of green chemistry and environmental sustainability. This study reports the synthesis of novel polysaccharide-based nanocarriers comprising cellulose nanocrystal (CNCs) covalently conjugated with maltoheptaose (MH), serving as an efficient carrier for curcumin (CUR). Curcumin is a natural antibacterial agent and photosensitizer for bacterial photodynamic therapy; however, its practical application is limited by its low solubility, instability, as well as its low bioavailability. Cellulose nanocrystals were extracted from cotton linter, aminated and functionalized with MH via a reductive amination reaction to construct a CNC-based carrier for curcumin delivery. The prepared nanocarrier exhibited an entrapment efficiency of 90% and loading capacity of 6.8%. The in vitro release studies demonstrated pH and light sensitive release behavior with approximately 89% cumulative release at pH 5.4 under light irradiation after 24 h. Antibacterial activity evaluation under blue light irradiation revealed a 20-33% increase in inhibition zone diameters compared to dark conditions, confirming the enhanced antibacterial activity under light irradiation. The findings suggest that the MH-functionalize CNC (CNC-MH) provides an effective platform for curcumin loading and light-responsive antibacterial delivery.
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Arefizadeh et al. (2026) studied this question.
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