Alginate hydrogels: Sustained release system to analyze the effect of traditional excipients on curcumin availability

Curcumin - Bioavailability Enhancement by Prodrug Approach and Novel Formulations

Curcumin is a diverse natural pharmacological agent involved in various signal transduction mechanisms. Therapeutically, this potent molecule faces different challenges and issues related to low bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility, less permeability, faster elimination and clearance. Experts in synthetic chemistry and pharmaceuticals are continuously sparing their efforts to overcome these pharmacokinetic challenges by using different structural modification strategies and developing novel drug delivery systems. In this mini-review article, we are focusing on development of curcumin derivatives by different possible routes like conjugation with biomolecules, natural polymers, synthetic polymers, natural products, metal conjugates and co- administration with natural metabolic inhibitors. In addition to that, it was also focused on the preparation of modified formulations such as micelles, microemulsions, liposomes, complexes with phospholipids, micro and nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nano lipid carriers, biopolymer nanoparticles and microgels to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of the curcumin without altering its pharmacodynamics activity. This review helps to understand the problems associated with curcumin and different strategies to improve its pharmacokinetic profile.

Recent advances in cellulose, pectin, carrageenan and alginate-based oral drug delivery systems

Polymers-based drug delivery systems constitute one of the highly explored thrust areas in the field of the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries. In the past years, the properties of polymers have been modified in context to their solubility, release kinetics, targeted action site, absorption, and therapeutic efficacy. Despite the availability of diverse synthetic polymers for the bioavailability enhancement of drugs, the use of natural polymers is still highly recommended due to their easy availability, accessibility, and non-toxicity. The aim of the review is to provide the available literature of the last five years on oral drug delivery systems based on four natural polymers i.e., cellulose, pectin, carrageenan, and alginate in a concise and tabulated manner. In this review, most of the information is in tabulated form to provide easy accessibility to the reader. The data related to active pharmaceutical ingredients and supported components in different formulations of the mentioned polymers have been made available.

The preparation of Diacylglycerol-rich soybean oil by acetylated modification of arachin nanoparticles for W/O Pickering emulsion system

Pickering emulsion catalytic system (PEC) stabilized by nanoparticles is an efficient catalytic platform. Herein, a high-performance PEC was constructed by acetylated modification of arachin nanoparticles (AAPs). The results showed the pI of arachin was decreased from pH 5.5 to pH 3.5. The surface hydrophobicity index was significantly increased (from 56.28 ± 4.23 to 120.77 ± 0.79) after acetylated modification. The three-phase contact angle of AAPs was 91.20 ± 0.98°. AAPs were used as lipase immobilization carriers to increase the activity of free lipase fabricating lipase-AAPs. The immobilization efficiency and activity of lipase-AAPs were 12.95 ± 0.03% and 1.74 ± 0.07 U/mg, respectively. Enzymatic reaction kinetics showed that V_m of lipase-AAPs was twice of free lipase. K_m was 1/5 of free lipase. The catalytic efficiency of PEC to prepare DAG was 2.36 times of biphasic catalytic system (BCS). This work provided a promising way to promote the efficiency of DAG preparation.

Therapeutic potential and limitations of curcumin as antimetastatic agent

Treatment of metastatic cancer is one of the biggest challenges in anticancer therapy. Curcumin is interesting nature polyphenolic compound with unique biological and medicinal effects, including repression of metastases. High impact studies imply that curcumin can modulate the immune system, independently target various metastatic signalling pathways, and repress migration and invasiveness of cancer cells. This review discusses the potential of curcumin as an antimetastatic agent and describes potential mechanisms of its antimetastatic activity. In addition, possible strategies (curcumin formulation, optimization of the method of administration and modification of its structure motif) to overcome its limitation such as low solubility and bioactivity are also presented. These strategies are discussed in the context of clinical trials and relevant biological studies.

Design and development of carboxymethylcellulose ester of curcumin as sustained release delivery system in liver

In the present work chemical transformation of carboxymethylcellulose with curcumin in ester form has led to the development of target specific sustained release delivery system for curcumin in presence of liver esterases. We here report synthesis, characterizations (FTIR, SEM and XRD) curcumin-carboxymethylcellulose ester (Cur-CMC ester) and its target specific hydrolysis to release curcumin. Cur-CMC ester has been found stable when simulated in-vitro in gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). On in-vitro simulation in liver homogenate curcumin is released from Cur-CMC ester after hydrolysis in a consistent amount (∼43 %) for 5 h. The release of curcumin from ester was highest at pH 8.0 in presence of liver enzymes. The present study suggested that modified CMC support can not only be used for the delivery of curcumin in liver but also acts as prodrug system and released free curcumin in presence of liver esterases.

Next-Generation Hydrogels as Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Exploring the Role of Curcumin

Since the first report on the pharmacological activity of curcumin in 1949, enormous amounts of research have reported diverse activities for this natural polyphenol found in the dietary spice turmeric. However, curcumin has not yet been used for human application as an approved drug. The clinical translation of curcumin has been hampered due to its low solubility and bioavailability. The improvement in bioavailability and solubility of curcumin can be achieved by its formulation using drug delivery systems. Hydrogels with their biocompatibility and low toxicity effects have shown a substantial impact on the successful formulation of hydrophobic drugs for human clinical trials. This review focuses on hydrogel-based delivery systems for curcumin and describes its applications as anti-cancer as well as wound healing agents.

Recent Advances on Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Diverse Edible Particles: Stability Mechanism and Applications

Pickering emulsions, which are stabilized by particles, have gained considerable attention recently because of their extreme stability and functionality. A food-grade particle is preferred by the food or pharmaceutical industries because of their noteworthy natural benefits (renewable resources, ease of preparation, excellent biocompatibility, and unique interfacial properties). Different edible particles are reported by recent publications with distinct shapes resulting from the inherent properties of raw materials and fabrication methods. Furthermore, they possess distinct interfacial properties and functionalities. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in the stabilization of Pickering emulsions using diverse food-grade particles, as well as their possible applications in the food industry.