Ultrasound-assisted liquid antisolvent processing of curcumin–lecithin amorphous nanoparticles for enhanced dissolution and storage stability

This study aimed to develop amorphous curcumin nanoparticles using an ultrasound-assisted liquid antisolvent (UALA) process and to evaluate their physicochemical properties, dissolution behaviour, and storage stability. Curcumin-lecithin nanoparticles were prepared under varying sonication times and characterised using Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, morphology analysis, wettability measurements, and dissolution testing. The optimised formulation (30 min sonication) produced fully amorphous core-shell particles with a mean diameter of 102.6 ± 3.1 nm, encapsulation efficiency of 70-90% w/w, and loading capacity of 10-15% w/w. UALA processing improved wettability (surface tension 27.9 ± 0.08 mN/m) and markedly enhanced dissolution, reaching 89.89% at 120 min compared with <2% for native curcumin. After 30 days, dissolution remained high (84.20%), demonstrating excellent stability. Overall, UALA enabled complete amorphization and significantly enhanced curcumin's dispersibility and release, offering a practical approach for functional food and pharmaceutical applications.