Abstract
Curcumin is a natural compound obtained from turmeric root with high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, clinical application of curcumin has been limited due to its low solubility and bioavailability and rapid metabolism and degradation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of curcumin incorporation in zein nanoparticles on the pharmacokinetic parameters of systemic curcumin in plasma. Wistar rats were administered a single oral dose of 250 mg/kg of standard curcumin (control) or nanocurcumin (zein-based nanoparticles, Nucaps). The proposed new formulation was also compared with two commercially available curcumin complexes. Blood samples were collected at different times, and plasma levels were determined using HPLC-MS/MS. Overall, nanocurcumin (Nucaps) formulation was well tolerated and showed a 9-fold increase in oral bioavailability when compared to the standard curcumin natural extract. In addition, the nanoparticles prepared in this study demonstrated a bioavailability profile superior to that of other bioavailability-enhanced curcumin complexes currently available in the marketplace. Thus, our nanoparticle-based formulation has shown great potential as a nutraceutical for the oral administration of curcumin.
Highlights
Curcuma longa, commonly known as turmeric, is a plant member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae)
Acetonitrile (ACN), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), di-sodium hydrogen phosphate anhydrous, ethyl acetate, formic acid (FA), phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, sodium acetate, and sodium chloride were purchased from Scharlau Chemie (Sentmenat, Spain). β-Glucuronidase from bovine liver, potassium di-hydrogen phosphate, and sulfatase from Helix pomatia were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Darmstadt, Germany)
In order to evaluate the impact of the curcuminoid extract in the physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles, different curcuminoids-to-zein ratios were evaluated and compared with respect to NPZ
Summary
Commonly known as turmeric, is a plant member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). This plant is endemic and prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions [1], and it is widely cultivated in India and China [2]. The rhizome of Curcuma longa contains carbohydrates (60–70%), proteins (6–8%), essential (3–7%) and fixed oils (5–10%), fiber (2–7%), minerals (3–7%) and curcuminoids (2–6%) [3]. The latter is a mixture of curcumin (CC) and two derivatives: demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bis-demethoxy-curcumin (BDMC) [4]. CC, has been widely used as a safe remedy, spice, and dye since 1900
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