ABSTRACT
The main cause of poor bioavailability of curcumin is the poor rate of absorption in the gut and the speed with which the ingested curcumin is quickly eliminated. Researchers have found that the absorption of curcumin is dependent on “aqueous solubility and intestinal permeability”, both of which are lacking in standard Curcuma longa extracts standardized for curcumin, especially in the form of capsules and tablets. Various nano-preparations of curcumin for cancer therapy, including nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, cyclodextrin complexes, nanodisks, nanofibres, solid lipid nanoparticles, and curcumin conjugates have been introduced. Over a period of time, a lot of emphasis has been given to improve the biodistribution of native curcumin, but it is only recently that the application of the field of nanotherapeutics has significantly improved its therapeutic efficacy. Nanorange formulations of curcumin are known as the “nanocurcumin”.
