Curcumin, the active principle present in the yellow spice turmeric, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic activities. Previously we have reported that dietary curcumin delays diabetes-induced cataract in rats. However, low peroral bioavailability is a major limiting factor for the success of clinical utilization of curcumin. In this study, we have administered curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic cataract model. Oral administration of 2 mg/day nanocurcumin was significantly more effective than curcumin in delaying diabetic cataracts in rats. The significant delay in progression of diabetic cataract by nanocurcumin is attributed to its ability to intervene the biochemical pathways of disease progression such as protein insolubilization, polyol pathway, protein glycation, crystallin distribution and oxidative stress. The enhanced performance of nanocurcumin can be attributed probably to its improved oral bioavailability. Together, the results of the present study demonstrate the potential of nanocurcumin in managing diabetic cataract.

Myocardial ischemia (MI) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.Angiogenic therapy with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a promising strategy to overcome hypoxia and its consequences. However, from the clinical data it is clear that fulfillment of the potential of VEGF warrants a better delivery strategy. On the other hand, the compelling evidences of the role of oxidative stress in diseases like MI encourage the use of antioxidant agents. Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10 ) due to its role in the electron transport chain in the mitochondria seems to be a good candidate to manage MI but is associated with poor biopharmaceutical properties seeking better delivery approaches.The female Sprague Dawley rats were induced MI and were followed up with VEGF microparticles intramyocardially and CoQ 10 nanoparticles orally or their combination with appropriate controls. Cardiac function was assessed by measuring ejection fraction before and after three months of therapy.Results demonstrate significant improvement in the ejection fraction after three months with both treatment forms individually; however the combination therapy failed to offer any synergism. In conclusion, VEGF microparticles and CoQ 10 nanoparticles can be considered as promising strategies for managing MI.

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This study reports scale-up and shelf-stability of curcumin encapsulated poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles. The curcumin encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by emulsification solvent evaporation/diffusion, and large quantities were made by varying the homogenisation time (5, 15 and 30 min). The particle size decreased as the homogenisation duration increased from 5 to 30 min, and the particles were spherical as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. For the large-scale preparations, the mean particles size was found to be 288.7 ± 3.4 (polydispersity index 0.15 ± 0.01) with curcumin entrapment 52.5 ± 4.3 %, which were comparable to the lab-scale preparations. The curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles were freeze-dried using sucrose (5 %, w/v) as a cryoprotectant. The freeze-dried nanoparticles were subjected to 6-month stability study as per the International Conference on Harmonisation guideline at room temperature and refrigerated storage conditions. Intermediate sampling was done (monthly), and the nanoparticles were thoroughly characterised for particle size, entrapment efficiency, surface morphology and crystallinity, which were compared to fresh preparations. The curcumin encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles were found to be stable at refrigerated as well as room temperature storage test conditions indicated by their particle characteristics. X-ray diffraction results confirm amorphous nature of curcumin on nano-encapsulation that stays intact after freeze drying and 6-month stability testing. Together these data offer possibility of producing large quantities of polymer nanoparticles that are suitable for room as well as refrigerated storage conditions opening up possibilities to conduct repeated dosings in a chronic setting or regulatory toxicology studies of such nanomedicines.