Differential interactions of curcumin with POPC/cholesterol and POPS/cholesterol mixed monolayers at air-water interface

A laboratory study of model lipid monolayers found that curcumin interacted more strongly with negatively charged POPS/cholesterol films than with electrically neutral POPC/cholesterol films at the air-water interface. The findings come from an abstract of the study; the research does not directly demonstrate effects in tumor cells, healthy cells, animals or humans.

The researchers used the Langmuir monolayer technique together with atomic force microscopy to examine two lipid/cholesterol mixtures prepared at a 7:3 molar ratio: one rich in electrically neutral phosphatidylcholine groups and the other rich in negatively charged phosphatidylserine groups. They tested curcumin concentrations of 22, 41 and 253 ng/mL. Their measurements included surface pressure–mean molecular area isotherms, elastic modulus, relaxation time and microscopic film morphology.

According to the abstract, the interaction strength between curcumin and the POPS/cholesterol monolayer was significantly greater than the interaction with the POPC/cholesterol monolayer, and the two systems showed different response patterns. Atomic force microscopy results indicated that curcumin may have been adsorbed as aggregates in POPC/cholesterol monolayer films, whereas no curcumin aggregates were observed in POPS/cholesterol monolayer films. The authors proposed that the negative charge and high surface exposure of the phosphatidylserine head group could account for the stronger interaction through ion–dipole interactions.

The authors described the results as evidence for a membrane-level mechanism that may help explain curcumin’s anti-tumor selectivity and may inform delivery strategies based on differences in tumor-membrane phospholipid characteristics. Those wider implications remain interpretive: the reported experiment involved model monolayers rather than tumor or healthy cells, and the supplied abstract does not establish clinical effects, treatment outcomes or delivery performance in people. The article was also identified as an early-access version of a peer-reviewed paper that could undergo further edits.

Subject of Research: Experimental comparison of curcumin interactions with two model lipid monolayers

Article Title: Differential interactions of curcumin with POPC/cholesterol and POPS/cholesterol mixed monolayers at air-water interface

Article References: Wang, J., Wang, B., & Li, L. (2026). Differential interactions of curcumin with POPC/cholesterol and POPS/cholesterol mixed monolayers at air-water interface. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-73095-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-73095-5

Keywords: curcumin, Langmuir monolayers, POPS, POPC, cholesterol, membrane interactions, atomic force microscopy, phosphatidylserine, model membranes, Differential, interactions, mixed