Polysaccharides-Based Complex Particles' Protective Role on the Stability and Bioactivity of Immobilized Curcumin.

Camelia-Elena Iurciuc (Tincu),Vincent Sol,Patrick Martin,Lăcrămioara Ochiuz,Marcel Popa,Christine Jérôme,Leonard Ionuţ Atanase

doi:10.3390/ijms22063075

Abstract

The curcumin degradation represents a significant limitation for its applications. The stability of free curcumin (FC) and immobilized curcumin in complex particles (ComPs) based on different polysaccharides was studied under the action of several factors. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy proved the FC photodegradation and its role as a metal chelator: 82% of FC and between 26% and 39.79% of curcumin within the ComPs degraded after exposure for 28 days to natural light. The degradation half-life (t1/2) decreases for FC when the pH increases, from 6.8 h at pH = 3 to 2.1 h at pH = 9. For curcumin extracted from ComPs, t1/2 was constant (between 10 and 13 h) and depended on the sample’s composition. The total phenol (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC) content values increased by 16% and 13%, respectively, for FC exposed to ultraviolet light at λ = 365 nm (UVA), whereas no significant change was observed for immobilized curcumin. Antioxidant activity expressed by IC50 (µmoles/mL) for FC exposed to UVA decreased by 29%, but curcumin within ComPs was not affected by the UVA. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption efficiency on the ComPs surface depends on the pH value and the cross-linking degree. ComPs have a protective role for the immobilized curcumin.

Highlights

When free curcumin (FC) was exposed to natural light and air, it was noted that the absorbance values at 425 nm decrease over time
The influence of some factors on FC stability and curcumin encapsulated in complex particles (ComPs) based on gellan/i-carrageenan/chitosan was investigated
It was observed that the degradation of FC was intensified after 28 days of exposure to natural light and air compared with the curcumin within ComPs

Summary

Introduction

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by chronic non-infectious inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and colitis of undetermined cause [1,2]. The treatment and prevalence of IBD were described in a recent paper, which is the first part of the present study [3]. Polyphenols, such as curcumin, have gained significant attention in complementary and alternative treatment owing to the high-safety therapeutic dose (up to 12 g/day) and the wide range of beneficial pharmacological effects [4,5,6]. Curcumin appears to influence the intestinal microbiota composition, modulates the intestinal barrier’s permeability, and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the gastrointestinal tract [5,7,8,9]

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Results

Conclusion