Development of an Oral Curcumin Nanocrystal Formulation

Abstract

During the last ten years, the formulation of drugs as nanocrystals has rapidly evolved into a mature drug delivery strategy, with currently five products on the market. The major characteristic of these systems is the rapid dissolution velocity, enabling bioavailability enhancement after oral administration. This study describes the preparation of a solid dosage capsule form of spray-dried curcumin nanocrystal and compares its dissolution behavior with market capsule in different media. The aim was to obtain a stable nanocrystal loaded drug capsule with an increased drug saturation solubility and dissolution velocity. The solubility and dissolution experiments were performed to verify the obvious improvement of the dissolution behavior compared with commercial product. Improved dissolution behavior in drug nanocrystal-loaded solid dosage forms should lead to better bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs in the body.