curcumin

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune destructive joint disease that is caused by inflammation in the tissue that normally produces lubrication fluid for joints.  Till now there is no known cure for RA and the goal of treatment is to reduce joint inflammation and pain. The present investigation is to develop a novel formulation called structured emulsion using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) enriched with oleocanthal and curcumin. Oleocanthal and curcumin are recently recognized for their anti-rheumatoid and anti-cancer properties. The primary objective of this investigation is preparation of EVOO extract containing oleocanthal as major fraction. The second objective is inducting this oleocanthal fraction into EVOO to enrich EVOO with oleocanthal and this is taken as oil phase. The structured emulsion was prepared and evaluated for various physicochemical properties such as viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, pH, Curcumin content. FTIR studies were carried out to identify any interactions between curcumin ,oleocanthal and other excipients used in the formulation. Ex-vivo studies were conducted for determining the curcumin release rate. The emulsion exhibited pseudoplastic behavior and thixotropic properties. The ex vivo studies showed first order drug release. FTIR studies revealed that there was no drug or drug excipient interactions. Curcumin loaded oleocanthal enriched structured emulsion was prepared successfully and evaluated. Keywords: oeocanthal, curcumin, structured emulsion

Curcumin has been identified as a major constituent in turmeric. It has been used in traditional medicine for liver disease (jaundice), indigestion, urinary tract diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and insect bites. Numerous studies have demonstrated the in-vitro anticancer effect of curcumin. Curcumin inhibits several different cellular targets like nuclear factor- kappa B (NF-ĸB); this in turn induces apoptosis and blocks the function of protein kinase C. The major problem associated with curcumin is its poor aqueous solubility resulting in its poor bioavailability at the tumor site. Therefore, improvement in stability, solubility and bioactivity is needed. The current review discusses the activity of curcumin on various types of cancer along with the advances in the drug delivery systems designed to improve curcumin delivery. These newly developed formulations improve the drug bioavailability and effectiveness. Numerous formulations of curcumin have been developed like microcapsules, β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes, nanoparticles and others such drug delivery systems.