ABSTRACT
Curcumin is a phenolic molecule extracted from turm eric and is prevalently used in Asian cuisine. This molecule has also shown great pharmacological activities. The pleiotropic property of curcumin enables it to act on multiple targets and as a promising therapeutic agent for various diseases. However, the treatm ent paradigm of curcumin in the clinical setting is not well established because of its low solubility, poor adsorption, low bioavailability, nonlinear pharmacokinetics, extensive metabolism, and degradation/ secretion. Particle-m ediated delivery of curcumin can address such shortcomings and enhance the therapeutic activity of curcumin. Particle technology aimed at preferential accumulation of curcumin at the disease site, thereby reducing adverse side effects, makes curcumin ideal as an efficient delivery strategy. Therefore, this chapter discusses polyester particles for curcumin delivery based on structurally varied delivery systems, which are aimed at increasing
bioavailability and biological effects. This chapter also discloses possible translational recommendations for polyester based curcumin particles for developing alternative clinical formulation(s) for therapeutic applications.
