Moin K. Modasiya

  Turmeric, derived from the plant Curcuma longa, is a gold-colored spice commonly used in the Indian subcontinent, not only for health care but also for the preservation of food and as a yellow dye for textiles. Curcumin, which gives the yellow color to turmeric, was first isolated almost two centuries ago, and its structure as diferuloylmethane was determined in 1910. Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 bc) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Extensive research within the last half century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. These include its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-coagulant, anti-fertility, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal, anti-viral, anti-fibrotic, anti-venom, anti-ulcer, hypotensive and hypocholesteremic activities. Its anti-cancer effect is mainly mediated through induction of apoptosis. Its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-oxidant roles may be clinically exploited to control rheumatism, carcinogenesis and oxidative stress-related pathogenesis. Thus, curcumin has the potential for the development of modern medicine for the treatment of various diseases.   Key words : Curcumin, diferuloylmethane, medicinal properties.

  Hydrogel nanoparticles have gained considerable attention in recent years as one of the most promising nanoparticulate drug delivery systems owing to their unique potentials via combining the characteristics of a hydrogel system with a nanoparticle. Therefore, it seems that the pharmacy world will benefit from the hydrophilicity, flexibility, versatility, high water absorptivity, and biocompatibility of these particles and all the advantages of the NPs, mainly long life span in circulation and the possibility of being actively or passively targeted to the desired bio-phase. Several polymeric hydrogel nanoparticulate systems have been prepared and characterized in recent years, based on both natural and synthetic polymers, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Several cross linking methods have been used in the way to form the hydrogel matrix structures. The remainder of this text presents various types of nanogels prepared and characterized, using a classification based on the type of polymeric materials used in preparation of the NPs.   Key words: Hydrogel, Nanoparticles, Hydrogel nanoparticles, Nanogels, Hydrogel.