title: Phytosomal curcumin: A review of pharmacokinetic, experimental and clinical studies.
abstract: Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol, is the principal constituent extracted from dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric). Curcumin is known as a strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that has different pharmacological effects. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that curcumin is safe even at dosages as high as 8g per day; however, instability at physiological pH, low solubility in water and rapid metabolism results in a low oral bioavailability of curcumin. The phytosomal formulation of curcumin (a complex of curcumin with phosphatidylcholine) has been shown to improve curcumin bioavailability. Existence of phospholipids in phytosomes leads to specific physicochemical properties such as amphiphilic nature that allows dispersion in both hydrophilic and lipophilic media. The efficacy and safety of curcumin phytosomes have been shown against several human diseases including cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetic microangiopathy and retinopathy, and inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on the pharmacokinetics as well as pharmacological and clinical effects of phytosomal curcumin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mirzaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Abolfazl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shakeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rashidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jalili
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Zarrin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Banikazemi
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: amir_saheb2000@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amirhossein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahebkar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D003474:Curcumin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004304:Dosage Forms; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles
chemical_list: D004304:Dosage Forms; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Bioavailability; Curcumin; Phospholipid; Phytosome