Solid lipid nanoparticles for oral delivery of curcumin

Despite multiple medicinal benefits, the therapeutical utility of curcumin is strongly limited by its poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability. Our work was focused on the development and characterization of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for the encapsulation of curcumin for oral administration. Ultrasound technique was employed to prepare Compritol® 888 ATO SLN and formulation parameters as sonication time and drug concentration were evaluated and optimised. The physicochemical characterization of curcumin-loaded SLN in terms of particle size, drug loading capacity, drug entrapment efficiency, TEM analysis and in vitro drug release, was carried out. Stability was investigated on storage conditions (4 °C) over one month. Parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) was also carried out to predict gastrointestinal absorption.