Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Delivery of Curcumin Suppresses Tumor Progression in Murine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Ludwig N, Feldmann C, Spörl S, Yerneni SS (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Cancers MDPI

Book Volume: 18

Article Number: 1586

Journal Issue: 10

DOI: 10.3390/cancers18101586

Abstract

Rationale: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) carries a poor prognosis despite advances in multimodal therapy. Nanomedicine represents a compelling strategy to enhance targeted drug delivery and improve therapeutic outcomes. Here, we investigated sEV-mediated delivery of curcumin as a novel therapeutic approach for OSCC. Methods: Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) were isolated from Jurkat cells by size-exclusion chromatography and loaded with curcumin via sonication to generate JCsEV. Functional effects were assessed in vitro using wound healing, transwell invasion, and metabolic activity assays across multiple cancer cell lines. Therapeutic efficacy in vivo was evaluated in the 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) immunocompetent murine model of oral carcinogenesis. Female C57BL/6J mice received intraperitoneal treatment for four weeks with PBS, free curcumin, unloaded JsEV, or JCsEV. Tumor number, tumor burden, and body weight changes were assessed at the experimental endpoint. Results: In vitro, JCsEV significantly inhibited tumor cell migration, invasion, and metabolic activity compared with controls (p < 0.05). In vivo, treatment with JCsEV significantly reduced tumor number and tumor burden in the 4-NQO model (p < 0.01). In addition, body weight loss was reduced in JCsEV-treated mice compared with controls. Conclusion: sEV-mediated delivery of curcumin effectively suppresses tumor progression in experimental OSCC. These findings establish proof-of-concept for sEV-based nanomedicine as a therapeutic strategy for OSCC and provide a compelling rationale for further translational investigation of sEVs as drug delivery platforms.

Authors with CRIS profile

Nils Ludwig Medizinische Fakultät Silvia Spörl Department of Medicine 5 – Haematology and Oncology

Involved external institutions

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg DE Germany (DE) Mayo Clinic US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Ludwig, N., Feldmann, C., Spörl, S., & Yerneni, S.S. (2026). Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Delivery of Curcumin Suppresses Tumor Progression in Murine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancers, 18(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18101586

MLA:

Ludwig, Nils, et al. "Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Delivery of Curcumin Suppresses Tumor Progression in Murine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma." Cancers 18.10 (2026).

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