Design and development of carboxymethylcellulose ester of curcumin as sustained release delivery system in liver

In the present work chemical transformation of carboxymethylcellulose with curcumin in ester form has led to the development of target specific sustained release delivery system for curcumin in presence of liver esterases. We here report synthesis, characterizations (FTIR, SEM and XRD) curcumin-carboxymethylcellulose ester (Cur-CMC ester) and its target specific hydrolysis to release curcumin. Cur-CMC ester has been found stable when simulated in-vitro in gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). On in-vitro simulation in liver ho-mogenate curcumin is released from Cur-CMC ester after hydrolysis in a consistent amount (similar to 43 %) for 5 h. The release of curcumin from ester was highest at pH 8.0 in presence of liver enzymes. The present study suggested that modified CMC support can not only be used for the delivery of curcumin in liver but also acts as prodrug system and released free curcumin in presence of liver esterases.

Automated summary

In this study, the chemical transformation of carboxymethylcellulose with curcumin in ester form resulted in the development of a target-specific sustained release delivery system for curcumin in the presence of liver esterases. The synthesis and characterizations of curcumin-carboxymethylcellulose ester (Cur-CMC ester) were reported, along with its target-specific hydrolysis for curcumin release. The stability of Cur-CMC ester was demonstrated in simulated in vitro gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). Upon in vitro simulation in liver homogenate, curcumin was released from Cur-CMC ester in a consistent amount (approximately 43%) over 5 hours, with the highest release observed at pH 8.0 in the presence of liver enzymes. The findings suggest that modified CMC can serve as a delivery system for curcumin in the liver and act as a prodrug system, releasing free curcumin in the presence of liver esterases.