Microparticles Containing Curcumin Solid Dispersion: Stability, Bioavailability and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Curcumin, a natural compound, exhibits poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability.
• Enhancing curcumin's bioavailability is crucial for its therapeutic applications.
• Solid dispersion technology offers a promising approach to overcome curcumin's solubility limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize spray-dried ternary solid dispersions of curcumin with Gelucire®50/13 and Aerosil®.
• To evaluate the impact of the solid dispersion on curcumin's solubility, dissolution rate, and in vivo oral bioavailability.
• To assess the anti-inflammatory activity of the curcumin solid dispersion.

Main Methods:

• Spray drying was employed to formulate ternary solid dispersions of curcumin.
• Characterization involved calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction.
• In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in rats and anti-inflammatory assays (rat paw oedema) were conducted.

Main Results:

• The solid dispersion significantly improved curcumin solubility (up to 3600-fold) and dissolution rate (7.3-fold).
• Pharmacokinetic studies revealed a 5.5-fold increase in curcumin bioavailability in rat plasma.
• The solid dispersion demonstrated enhanced anti-inflammatory activity compared to unprocessed curcumin.

Conclusions:

• Spray-dried ternary solid dispersions of curcumin with Gelucire®50/13-Aerosil® effectively enhance solubility and oral bioavailability.
• The scalable spray-drying technique makes this formulation industrially viable for pharmaceutical applications.
• This enhanced curcumin formulation holds potential for chemoprevention of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.