Curcumin Phytosomes: A Promising Nanocarrier System for Enhancing Bioavailability and Therapeutic Efficacy

Curcumin: a polyphenolic compound extracted from turmeric with widespread therapeutic potential, particularly its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. But its clinical usage is limited by low aqueous solubility, low absorption, rapid metabolism, and fast systemic clearance, leading to poor bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, nanocarrier systems such as phytosomes a special phospholipid complex system have been introduced for effective drug delivery. Curcumin phytosomes are a styudied formulation consisting of a mixture of curcumin and phospholipids, usually phosphatidylcholine, that help improve the absorption and bioavailability of curcumin. Preparation methods of curcumin phytosomes refers to solvent evaporation and anti-solvent precipitation, while characterization and evaluation parameters are particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, drug loading capacity and morphology. Phytosome technology can significantly improve the bioavailability profile of poorly soluble drugs by enhancing solubility and dissolution rate, improving intestinal permeability, protection from degradation and stability. Curcumin phytosomes have better therapeutic applications in various diseases including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, etc. The use of preclinical and clinical studies is crucial for the assessment of the efficacy and safety of curcumin phytosomes, with increasing focus on enhancing their predictive validity as well as better extrapolation to human physiology. Overall, curcumin phytosomes could be an efficient carrier system to improve the plasma level and therapeutic effects of curcumin, and thus it can be used in various diseases.