Bioavailability enhancement of curcumin via esterification processes: A review

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been used in the form of kitchen spices since ancient times. It is a traditional medicine of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine in which curcuminoids are present as a major constituent. The major curcuminoid of turmeric is curcumin (CUR) which is responsible for the significant properties of Curcuma longa. The biggest limitation of curcumin is its poor bioavailability and very low aqueous solubility which directly affects its tissue distribution. Various prodrugs have been designed to overcome this by doing structural modification and protection of hydroxy group present in the curcumin's structure. In this review, we have discussed in detail those prodrugs that can prove to be helpful to sort out the problems related to curcumin and the potential use of these prodrugs might be an option to treat many diseases in near future.

Keywords

• Curcumin conjugates
• Bioavailability
• Esterification
• Ester prodrugs