Chitosan-Based Systems for Curcumin Delivery: Evidence for Therapeutic Applications

Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol from Curcuma longa, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Despite its therapeutic promise, curcumin's clinical use is limited by poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Chitosan-based delivery systems, especially polymeric nanoparticles, have been a strategy to improve curcumin's solubility, stability, and provide targeted drug delivery. This review maps evidence on the use of delivery systems based on the natural polymer chitosan incorporating curcumin for disease management, highlighting their potential to enhance therapeutic outcomes. The review included studies involving humans, animals, or cell cultures using chitosan-based systems for curcumin delivery for therapeutical purposes. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, and Google Scholar (January 16, 2025). Two independent reviewers selected studies, and data were synthesized descriptively. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer. From 5336 records, 387 studies met inclusion criteria. Cancer (212 studies) and wound healing (112 studies) were the predominant topics. Co-occurrence analysis revealed curcumin, chitosan, and drug delivery as the main reported keywords. In cancer treatment, compiled evidence from in vitro and animal suggests that chitosan-based nanoparticles enhanced curcumin's bioavailability, cytotoxicity, and therapeutic effect. The treatment was often applied in synergy with agents like 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, and paclitaxel. In wound healing, hydrogels, scaffolds, nanofibers, and films improved biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and regenerative capacity, especially for diabetic wounds and burns. In some cases, the treatment incorporated other bioactives like EGF, exosomes, or aloe vera. Chitosan-based formulations containing curcumin have demonstrated strong potential in cancer treatment and wound healing care.