Delivery Systems for Curcumin Derivatives Based on Calcium Carbonate Structures for Biomedical Applications

One of the most researched minerals in terms of how to produce it and the range of uses for it is calcium carbonate. This work describes how to generate hybrid materials by co-precipitating calcium carbonate loaded with either bis-dehydroxycurcumin (CCOH) or the calcium complex of bis-dehydroxycurcumin (Ca(CCOH)2). Composite materials with various morphologies were produced when calcium carbonate and different amounts of curcumin derivatives were precipitated in alcoholic media. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for structural and morphologic characterization of the materials, while thermal stability was verified by thermal-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and porosity analysis was performed to evaluate surfaces and pore sizes. The hybrid materials were embedded in a cosmetic matrix lacking a sun protective effect in order to assess the UV-shielding properties. The transmittance spectra were subsequently measured in the 290–400 nm region, and the sun protection factor (SPF) was calculated. Thus, the co-precipitation approach produced hybrid materials loaded with curcumin derivatives, which were further evaluated for possible applications in the medical field for the delivery of drugs or in skincare products.