Enhanced potential of therapeutic applications of curcumin using solid-in-water nanodispersion technique

Curcumin (Cur), a hydrophobic polyphenol compound, holds promising potential as an anticancer agent. However, the poor solubility in water and the low bioavailability of curcumin have limited its therapeutic applications. In this regard, we reported the formulation of curcumin using a solid-in-water (S/W) nanodispersion technique to enhance the water solubility and therapeutic activity of curcumin. This new aqueous formulation comprises simple preparation protocols: emulsification and freeze-drying for encapsulating hydrophobic biomolecules with a hydrophilic surfactant, followed by redispersion of the resultant solid complexes in an aqueous solution. Pluronics F68 and F127 were used here for the encapsulation of curcumin. Enhanced aqueous solubility of curcumin was achieved by encapsulating curcumin with a hydrophilic surfactant using the S/W nanodispersion technique. The resultant nanosized formulation had a narrow size distribution and high entrapment efficiency of curcumin. The highest loading capacity of curcumin in S/W nanodispersion was obtained with a weight ratio of curcumin to pluronic of 1: 10 for both surfactants. The release profile of the complexes was found to depend on the type of surfactant, suggesting that the selection of a proper surfactant is crucial for controlling curcumin delivery. The anticancer activity of the S/W formulation of curcumin was correlated with the drug release profiles and cellular uptake, which in turn was influenced by the hydrophobicity and chemical structure of the surfactant.