article · Nanomaterials
Curcumin, derived from Curcuma longa Linn rhizomes, offers diverse biological activities evaluated in animals and humans. However, its practical use is hindered by formulation challenges and stability issues. Nanotechnology provides solutions to improve curcumin's solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy, whilst also reducing toxicity. Various nanosystems are investigated for delivering curcumin alone or combined with other drugs, including liposomes, nanoemulsions, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, polymeric nanoparticles, solid-lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers. Current research focuses on developing nanocarriers with high loading capacity, biodegradability, compatibility, surface modification, and targeting specificity. Although numerous patents exist and clinical trials are ongoing, the application of nanocarriers for curcumin delivery remains in its early stages due to unresolved safety concerns and a lack of regulatory approvals.
Curcumin possesses promising biological properties, but its poor solubility and stability have limited its effectiveness as a treatment. By engineering microscopic delivery vehicles, researchers can protect the compound and transport it more effectively within the body. Understanding the current state of nanocarrier technologies, clinical trials, and safety hurdles helps guide the responsible development of more reliable therapeutic formulations.
The research highlights therapeutic applications in drug delivery, relevant to pharmaceutical developers and nanomedicine formulators. Activity is supported by recently granted patents and active clinical trials evaluating various lipid and polymer nanosystems. However, real-world deployment remains at an early stage, as nanocarrier-based curcumin formulations currently face outstanding safety concerns and have yet to secure regulatory approvals.
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Curcumin, an organic phenolic molecule that is extracted from the rhizomes of <i>Curcuma longa</i> Linn, has undergone extensive evaluation for its diverse biological activities in both animals and humans. Despite its favorable characteristics, curcumin encounters various formulation challenges and stability issues that can be effectively addressed through the application of nanotechnology. Nano-based techniques specifically focused on enhancing solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy while mitigating toxicity, have been explored for curcumin. This review systematically presents information on the improvement of curcumin's beneficial properties when incorporated, either individually or in conjunction with other drugs, into diverse nanosystems such as liposomes, nanoemulsions, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, polymeric nanoparticles, solid-lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers. Additionally, the review examines ongoing clinical trials and recently granted patents, offering a thorough overview of the dynamic landscape in curcumin delivery. Researchers are currently exploring nanocarriers with crucial features such as surface modification, substantial loading capacity, biodegradability, compatibility, and autonomous targeting specificity and selectivity. Nevertheless, the utilization of nanocarriers for curcumin delivery is still in its initial phases, with regulatory approval pending and persistent safety concerns surrounding their use.
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DOI: 10.3390/nano14080672
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