Table 1.
Direct combination of metal oxides and curcumin and their therapeutic performance.
| Therapeutic Agent | Synthesis Approach | Study Models | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curcumin–TiO2 nanoparticles (CNTPs) [51] | Coprecipitation in the presence of curcumin | In vitro: THP1 and H9c2 In vivo: Sprague-Dawley rat model |
↑ Stability curcumin in CTNPs form at pH 7.4 pH-dependent release at pH 6 > pH 7.4 In vitro: no distinct change in cells morphology, viability > 97% → nontoxicity of CTNPs In vivo: better biodistribution with more concentration in liver and kidney, half-life CTNPs > curcumin in all organs 24 h, high life of CN No change in SGPT, SGOT and LDH in CNTPs treated mice serum, no genotoxicity → in vivo nontoxicity of CTNPs |
| Curcumin-coated TiO2 nanotubes (TNTC) [52] | Drop-casting method |
E. coli, S. aureus hMSCs |
In vitro: ↓ wettability → reduced microbial adhesion, 43.6% E. coli and 38.5% S. aureus growth inhibition, no cytotoxic effect on hMSCs, ↓ ALP expression |
| Curcumin/TiO2 nanocomposites [53] | Adsorption from solution under sonication | HeLa | ↑ Inhibition of HeLa |
| Zinc oxide-grafted curcumin nanocomposites (ZNP-Cs) [20], | Surface adsorption from solution |
S. aureus, S. epidermidis, B. cereus, and E. coli HEK293 |
Modest curcumin-loading Antibacterial activities rod, RZNP–cur> spherical, SZNP–cur > long petal, LPZNP–cur > javelin, JZNP–cur Oblong particles showed higher activities than spherical ones E. coli less susceptible to antimicrobial activities, SZNP–cur show the most potent against S. epidermidis, RZNP–cur show the most potent against the other three Composites demonstrate better performance than bare curcumin or ZnO |
| Zinc oxide–curcumin core–shell (ZnO–cur) [55] | Precipitation under | S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, E. coli, and S. dysenteriae | ↑ Bacterial inhibition effect than amoxicillin and pure curcumin |
| Copper oxide–curcumin core–shell [57] | Precipitation under ultrasonication | E. coli, S. aureus, S. dysenteriae, and S. pneumoniae | ↑ Water dispersibility, better aqueous solubility of curcumin in core–shell form than in pure form, ↑ Antibacterial effect than nanocurcumin and amoxicillin ↓ Toxicity towards African green monkey kidney cell (Vero) than CuO |
| Curcumin–CuO physical mixture [58] | Grinding together curcumin and CuO powders | Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice | ↓ MDA level, ↑ GSH and SOD levels, insulin concentration, mRNA expression level of insulin gene (IR-A and IR2) |
| Curcumin-coated iron oxide (C–IO) [59] | Coprecipitation in the presence of curcumin | HUVEC | ↓ Toxicity compared to uncoated IO or curcumin to HUVEC Show protective effect to HUVEC from PCB126 induced toxicity |
Abbreviations: ↑ = increase; ↓ = decrease; → = implies; SGPT = serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, SGOT = serum glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase; LDH = lactic dehydrogenase; ALP = alkaline phosphatase; hMSCs = mesenchymal stem cells; ZnO = zinc oxide; TiO2 = titanium dioxide; CuO = copper oxide; IO = iron oxide; RZNP–cur = curcumin-loaded rod shape ZnO; SZNP–cur = curcumin-loaded spherical shape ZnO; LPZNP–cur = curcumin-loaded long petal shape ZnO; JZNP–cur = curcumin-loaded javelin shape ZnO; HEK293 = human embryonic kidney cells; HUVEC = human umbilical vein endothelial cells; PCB126= polychlorinated biphenyl 126.