Turmeric Phyto-nanoparticle: enhanced cellular bioavailability and anti-inflammatory effect in human monocyte / macrophage model

The poor bioavailability of curcuminoids remains a major challenge to therapeutic use. This is largely due to their hydrophobicity, poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and short circulating half-life--limitations that are now being addressed through advances in nano- and micro-emulsion technologies. Curcuminoids and other water-insoluble phyto-polyphenols offer significant putative health benefits as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, radioprotective, and neuroprotective agents. Conventional emulsion-based delivery systems, such as liposomes, micelles, or solid lipid particles, rely on various emulsifying surfactants and/or excipients, some of which may themselves pose health risks. Here, we establish a novel class of all-natural, additive-free, oil-free, and emulsion-free Turmeric Phyto-NanoParticles (TPNPs) formulated directly from turmeric rhizomes and tested in a human monocyte/macrophage cell model to assess bioavailability kinetics and the efficacy of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. TPNPs are enriched with curcuminoids (24.85% by mass), form a homogeneous nanoparticle distribution, exhibit higher antioxidant capacity, and demonstrate significantly improved cellular uptake in both monocytes and macrophages compared to conventionally purified curcuminoids. Favourable cellular pharmacodynamic anti-inflammatory effect of TPNPs was shown by increased levels of the cytoprotective enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), and a more effective reduction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion compared to conventional curcuminoids. TPNPs could thus serve as a stable, non-synthetic, excipient-free formulation for safe and effective delivery of curcuminoids by nanocarriers for inflammatory conditions.