Curcumin Encapsulated Poly(Glycerol-Citric acid) (PGCA) based Dendrimers: Synthesis, Characterisation and their antimicrobial activity

Poly (glycerol-citric acid) (PGCA) dendrimers were synthesised using a polyesterification process andcharacterized by various physico-chemical characterization techniques such as FTIR, DLS, and UV Spectroscopy etc.The PGCA dendrimer is chosen because it is non-toxic and biocompatible due to the presence of glycerol and citric acid.The latter are natural compounds that are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Curcumin is a naturallyoccurring antimicrobial compound that is poorly soluble in water. Curcumin was encapsulated inside the PGCAdendrimer. When tested against Gram-positive bacteria, the antimicrobial activity of the curcumin-PGCA dendrimers wasfound to be higher than that of free curcumin. The higher microbial activity of curcumin-PGCA dendrimers can beattributed to increased solubility of curcumin, enhanced formulation stability and efficient cellular uptake of the curcumindue to the nano-meter size of the dendrimers. The present study on PGCA-based dendrimers opens the opportunity todeliver hydrophobic drugs for antibacterial and medicinal applications.Keywords:- Dendrimer, Curcumin, Microbial Activity, Polymer, Nanoparticles, Drug Delivery