nanoemulsion curcumin

Nanoemulsion curcumin (NEC) is a highly bioavailable oral formulation of curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from the turmeric plant (*Curcuma longa*). Curcumin is known for its pleiotropic anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antineoplastic properties, but its clinical utility has historically been limited by extremely poor water solubility, rapid metabolism, and low oral bioavailability. By encapsulating curcumin within nanoscale oil-in-water emulsions, NEC significantly enhances its solubility, stability, and absorption, delivering much higher plasma levels of curcumin and its active metabolite, curcumin O-glucuronide (COG). Developed and clinically evaluated by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, NEC is being investigated in Phase I clinical trials for breast cancer prevention in obese women and for the management of aromatase inhibitor-induced joint arthropathy in breast cancer survivors. Mechanistically, curcumin acts as a multi-target agent, directly inhibiting DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), histone acetyltransferases (p300/CBP), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), proteasome subunit beta type-5 (PSMB5), and inflammatory enzymes like cyclooxygenase-2 (PTGS2) and 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5), thereby modulating key signaling pathways such as NF-kB and restoring the expression of tumor suppressor genes.

Other names

curcumin nanoemulsionnanoemulsifying curcumin