Table I.
Commonly Used Systems to Deliver Curcumin and Their Specific Advantages over Conventional Systems and Other Nanocarriers
| Type of nanoformulations | Significance and comments | Number of publications |
|---|---|---|
| Nanoparticles | Nanoparticles, in particular, biodegradable nanoparticles, have been used for encapsulation of curcumin due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In fact, some systems have reached clinical practice. | 425 |
| Liposomes | Liposomes are generated from phospholipid bilayers. This is the second most widely used vehicle to solubilize/encapsulate curcumin. Various types of liposomes have been tested for delivery of a number of clinically used drugs and are clinically used in clinics. | 139 |
| Cyclodextrins | Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides that can solubilize curcumin in a lipophilic cavity, and the hydrophilic outer surface helps in greater dispersion of the formulation. | 88 |
| Polymers | Polymers have been exploited to improve solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. Polymeric carriers have been widely studied for efficient delivery of curcumin. | 563 |
| Conjugates | Conjugation of curcumin to small molecules and hydrophilic polymers is a known practice to increase aqueous solubility. | 69 |
| Micelles | Micelles or polymeric micelles are composed of amphiphilic block copolymers that spontaneously form 20–100 nm micelles in aqueous solution at the above critical micellar concentration. The hydrophobic core of micelles can effectively house curcumin for solubilization and targeted delivery. | 138 |
| Dendrimers | Dendrimers are composed of highly branched and star-shaped networks of macromolecules. Typically, dendrimers are formed symmetrically around the core at nanometer-scale dimensions and are three-dimensionally spherical in morphology. These carriers are highly suitable for conjugation and loading of curcumin. | 13 |
| Lipid nanoparticles | Lipid nanoparticles are typically spherical in shape with a lipid core matrix that can solubilize curcumin. The lipid core is usually stabilized by surfactant molecules. | 90 |
| Nanogels | Nanogels are hydrogel nanoparticles of swollen physical/chemically cross-linked networks composed of hydrophilic or amphiphilic polymer chains. These carriers can be designed to transport various drug molecules including curcumin. These carriers mimic human tissues due to higher hydrophilicity in the system due to swollen nature. | 12 |
| Gold nanoparticles | Gold nanoparticles are emerging as a novel platform as photothermal agents, contrast agents, and radiosensitizers. In addition, current literature supports their use in the delivery of curcumin. | 11 |
| Magnetic nanoparticles | Magnetic nanoparticles are a class of nanoparticles that can be used for multifunctional purposes including delivery of drugs (curcumin), magnetic resonance imaging, and hyperthermia. | 35 |
| Solid dispersions | Solid dispersions are dispersions of curcumin in a suitable inert matrix. | 16 |