Preparation of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Enhancement of Oral Bioavailability of Curcumin

Purpose: To prepare solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) of curcumin (CRM) by microemulsion method and assessing its effect on oral bioavailability in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: CRM SLN composed of Gelucire 50/13 were prepared by microemulsion method followed by freeze drying and characterized for mean particle size by Photon Correlation spectroscopy. The SLN were administered (p.o., 100 mg/kg) to male Sprague-Dawley rats (225-275g) and plasma samples were analyzed using a validated HPLC-UV/VIS method. An aqueous suspension of CRM was used as the reference (administered p.o. 250 mg/kg). The pharmacokinetic parameters AUC_(0-5h), C_max and T_max were calculated using non compartmental modeling. Results: The mean particle size of the SLN was found to be 375 nm. The results for AUC_(0-5h), C_max and T_max were found to be 28.0 ng.h/mL, 28.9 ng/mL and 0.5 h, respectively for reference; and 75.5 ng.h/mL, 31.3 ng/mL and 1.0 h, respectively for SLN. A statistically significant increase (P= 0.035, 2 sample unpaired t-test) of 647% was observed after dose normalization in the oral bioavailability of CRM (in terms of AUC _(0-5h)). Conclusion: The oral bioavailability of CRM can be significantly improved by developing SLN of CRM.