Molecular Interactions for the Curcumin-Polymer Complex with Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Solid dispersions enhance drug solubility and stability.
• Understanding drug-polymer interactions is crucial for formulation development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) of Curcumin (Cur) using various polymers.
• To investigate the drug-polymer interactions and their impact on physical stability and bioavailability.
• To evaluate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the optimized Curcumin ASD.

Main Methods:

• Solvent evaporation method for ASD preparation.
• Experimental techniques: XRD, DSC, FTIR, SEM, Raman, 1H-NMR.
• Molecular dynamics simulations for interaction analysis.

Main Results:

• Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) demonstrated superior performance as a carrier for Curcumin ASD compared to poloxamers and HP-β-CD.
• Strong drug-polymer interactions were confirmed, leading to enhanced solubility and physical stability.
• Curcumin ASD exhibited an 11-fold increase in bioavailability and significant reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions:

• Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is an effective carrier for developing stable and bioavailable amorphous solid dispersions of Curcumin.
• Combined experimental and computational methods facilitate rational drug formulation design.
• Curcumin ASD shows promising therapeutic potential for inflammatory conditions.