ABSTRACT
In recent years, curcumin (CUR)—the natural bioactive constituent extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa)—has attracted tremendous scientific attention due to its broad spectrum of biologically and pharmacologically curative properties such as anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. Despite having striking health-promoting promises, CUR has not yet been approved as a therapeutic agent, primarily due to its low aqueous solubility, which further restricts its oral bioavailability (BA). Therefore, it is classified as a biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class II and IV drug candidate. Moreover, other problems related to CUR instability also hinder the use of this magical compound. Nanotechnology has emerged as the most important approach for the development of many poorly soluble drug candidates such as CUR. Several nano-enabled formulations, devised to overcome remaining obstacles to the pharmaceutical development of CUR, have been successfully fabricated. This chapter introduces the major principles, advantages, and problems associated with this therapeutically versatile bioactive compound. Besides, significant improvements in the use of CUR as a consequence of using its nanoformulations will also be presented.
