Preparation and in-vitro/in-vivo evaluation of curcumin nanosuspension with solubility enhancement.

OBJECTIVES: We developed Cur nanosuspension (Cur-NS) with PVPK30 and SDS as stabilizers to improve poor water solubility and short biological half-time of Cur.

METHODS: Physicochemical characterization of Cur-NS was characterized systematically. The in-vitro dissolution, cytotoxicity and in-vivo pharmacokinetic experiments of Cur-NS were also evaluated.

KEY FINDINGS: Scanning electron microscope indicated that the morphologies of Cur-NS were spherical or ellipsoidal in shape. X-ray diffraction verified that Cur was successfully developed as nanoparticles with an amorphous phase in Cur-NS. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested there was no degradation about Cur in the Cur-NS. Furthermore, the in-vitro study showed that the cumulative release of the Cur-NS was 82.16 ± 2.62% within 34 h and the cytotoxicity of the Cur-NS against HepG2 cells was much better than raw Cur. Besides, in-vivo pharmacokinetics in rats by intravenous injection displayed that the in-vivo process of Cur-NS pertained to two-compartment model. Meanwhile, the t1/2 and AUC0-t of Cur-NS were enhanced by 11.0-fold and 4.2-fold comparing to Cur solution.

CONCLUSIONS: The Cur-NS significantly increased the water solubility and half-time of Cur, suggesting its potential as a nanocarrier in the delivery of Cur for future clinical application.