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ABSTRACT
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Curcumin is a well-established anticancer agent in vitro but its efficacy is yet to be proven in clinical trials. Poor bioavailability of curcumin is the principal reason behind the lack of efficiency of curcumin in clinical trials. Many studies prove that the bioavailability of curcumin can be improved by administering it through nanoparticle drug carriers. This review focuses on the efforts made in the field of nanotechnology to improve the bioavailability of curcumin. Nanotechnologies of curcumin come in various shapes and sizes. The simplest curcumin nanoparticle that increased the bioavailability of curcumin is the curcumin–metal complex. On the other hand, we have intricate thermoresponsive nanoparticles that can release curcumin upon stimulation (analogous to a remote control). Future research required for developing potent curcumin nanoparticles is also discussed.
Competing Interest
None of the authors has any competing interests.
Funding
The financial support provided by the Department of Biotechnology (BT/PR13396/BRB/10/756/2009), Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB – SR/FT/LS-154/2009) and CSIR (37(1488)/11/EMR-II), Government of India, New Delhi is gratefully acknowledged.