• Aleksandra Zielińska, Henrique Alves, Vânia Marques, Alessandra Durazzo, Massimo Lucarini, Thais F Alves, Margreet Morsink, Niels Willemen, Piotr Eder, Marco V Chaud, Patricia Severino, Antonello Santini, and Eliana B Souto.
• Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Jul 3; 56 (7).

AbstractThis review discusses the impact of curcumin-an aromatic phytoextract from the turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome-as an effective therapeutic agent. Despite all of the beneficial health properties ensured by curcumin application, its pharmacological efficacy is compromised in vivo due to poor aqueous solubility, high metabolism, and rapid excretion that may result in poor systemic bioavailability. To overcome these problems, novel nanosystems have been proposed to enhance its bioavailability and bioactivity by reducing the particle size, the modification of surfaces, and the encapsulation efficiency of curcumin with different nanocarriers. The solutions based on nanotechnology can improve the perspective for medical patients with serious illnesses. In this review, we discuss commonly used curcumin-loaded bio-based nanoparticles that should be implemented for overcoming the innate constraints of this natural ingredient. Furthermore, the associated challenges regarding the potential applications in combination therapies are discussed as well.

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