Bioavailability of curcumin in nanoemulsions stabilized with mono- and diacylglycerols structured with conjugated linoleic acid and n-3 fatty acids

Curcumin is a compound with multiple health benefits and limited use because of its low bioavailability. The latter can be significantly improved by means of encapsulation in form of nanoemulsions (NE), which are systems that offer the possibility of incorporating bioactive compounds such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and n-3 fatty acids (n-3FA). In this study, the oral bioavailability of NE and curcumin-carrying emulsions (E) were evaluated in an in vivo model. These were stabilized with mono- (MAG) and diacylglycerols (DAG) structured with CLA and n-3FA. Plasma curcumin content was evaluated at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 h. The animals were sacrificed and their organs (lung, liver, intestine, stomach, heart and kidneys) were collected to determine the distribution of curcumin of the different formulations. It was found that THE bioavailability, according to the emulsifier used and particle size, decreased in the following order: NE-CLA > NE-n-3 FA > E-n-3FA > E-CLA > NE-phosphatidylcholine (PC). The NE stabilized with CLA and n-3FA showed the best values in the pharmacokinetic parameters of area under the curve (AUC), maximum concentration (C max ) in addition to allowing curcumin to remain in high concentrations longer. NE stabilized with CLA and n-3FA showed greater bioavailability in target organs 12 h after oral administration compared to emulsions made with the same emulsifier, and the difference between both NE in terms of distribution in the organs evaluated will allow the possibility of future works for the treatment of particular ailments where curcumin has demonstrated its effectiveness.