In vitro studies on curcumin-chitosan-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) cytotoxicity against A549 (lung cancer cell line) HCT 116 (colorectal cancer cell line) and PANC1 (pancreatic cancer cell line)

cytotoxicity of oxidized MWCNTs, curcumin-loaded MWCNTs, and chitosan-functionalized MWCNTs with or without curcumin against lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer cell lines. The prepared samples were characterized for crystallinity, particle size, and surface charge using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The resulting curcumin-chitosan-MWCNT formulation demonstrated an entrapment efficiency of 99.1%, a particle size of 850 nm, and a surface area of 52.73 m²/g. The IC₅₀ of curcumin-chitosan-MWCNT was 67 μg/mL for PANC-1 cells, compared to 227.6 μg/mL for fibroblasts, 71.4 μg/mL for HCT116, and 148.6 μg/mL for A549 cells. In conclusion, the combination of curcumin, chitosan, and MWCNT significantly reduced cancer cell viability and demonstrated selective in vitro cytotoxicity, particularly against PANC-1 cells. These findings suggest that the developed formulation may warrant further investigation as a potential nanocomposite platform for anticancer applications