Fig. 3

Drug content values and drug release profile in acidic and normal pHs. Based on the TGA curves, the total weight loss of P-P and P-P-Cur is recorded at around 96.23 and 97.52%, respectively. By comparing these values, a difference of 1.29% is acquired which refers to drug content. Regarding drug release profile, the burst Cur release is observed within the first 2 h for pure Cur whereas it is just 5% for P-P-Cur in pH 7.4. About 50% of Cur release from P-P-Cur nanobeads is obtained within 20 h at pH 7.4. The pH-sensitive Cur release is recorded for P-P-Cur at pH 6.0 and 5.0 which is appropriate for fast drug release in the acidic microenvironment of cancer tissues