A Novel Solvent-Free Co-Grinding Preparation Improves Curcumin Bioavailability in Healthy Volunteers: A Single-Center Crossover Study

Abstract

Curcumin, from the rhizome of turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.), has a wide variety of biological activities. Unfortunately, its poor water-solubility greatly limits its bioavailability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate CUMINUP60®, a novel preparation utilizing a solvent-free, co-grinding method designed to improve curcumin’s bioavailability. We performed a single-center crossover experiment to compare the new product with standard 95% curcumin in twelve healthy adults. Total bioavailability of curcumin and its sulfate and glucuronide conjugates from the test product, measured by their areas under the curve over 12 hours (AUC 0-T ), showed a combined increase of 178-fold over standard curcumin and its conjugates from the reference product. The new product represents a significant improvement for providing greater bioavailability of curcumin, as compared with several other branded preparations. It therefore has broad applications for preparing curcumin as a more effective health ingredient in functional foods, beverages, and nutraceuticals.

Keywords: curcumin, Oral Bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, CUMINUP60®