Transdermal Use of Curcumin Nanoemulsion: Preparation and Assessment

Curcuma longa is the natural source of curcumin, a potent polyphenolic molecule with anti- inflammatory,  antioxidant,  and  anticancer  effects.  However,  its  clinical  use  is  severely hampered due to rapid metabolism and low oral bioavailability. Therefore, this research aims to  formulate  a  curcumin  nanoemulsion  that  is  stabilised  with  improved  solubility,  skin penetration, and stability. For this purpose, the nanoemulsion formulation was optimized for stability,  encapsulation  efficiency,  and  particle  size.  The  study  also  evaluates  its  anti- inflammatory  properties,  release  kinetics,  and  skin  penetration. The  results  obtained  were encapsulation efficiency of 85.6 ± 4.3%, zeta potential of -28.4 ± 3.1 mV, and particle size of128.5 ± 6.7 nm. The release kinetics of two formulations followed first-order kinetics, while the  third  formulation  followed  zero-order  kinetics.  The  therapeutic  potency  of  curcumin nanoemulsion in reducing inflammation was validated by substantial reductions in levels of inflammatory biomarkers TNF-α, 38.4%, and IL-6, 42.1% observed in the ex vivo analysis.