Wound healing is an intricate multistage process that includes inflammation, cell proliferation, matrix deposition and remodeling phases. It is often associated with oxidative stress and consequent prolonged inflammation, resulting in impaired wound healing. Curcumin has been reported to improve wound healing in different animal models. In order to increase the efficacy of curcumin in the healing arena a curcumin loaded oleic acid based polymeric (COP) bandage was formulated. The in vivo wound healing potency was compared with void bandage and control (cotton gauze treatment) in a rat model. Biochemical parameters and histological analysis revealed increased wound reduction and enhanced cell proliferation in COP bandage treated groups due to its efficient free radical scavenging properties. Comparative acceleration in wound healing was due to early implementation of fibroblasts and its differentiation (increased level of α-smooth muscle actin). Western blotting and semiquantitative PCR analysis clearly indicate that COP bandage can efficiently quench free radicals leading to reduced antioxidative enzyme activity. Further evidence at mRNA and protein level indicates that our system is potent enough to reduce the inflammatory response mediated by the NFκB pathway during wound healing. With this background, we anticipate that such a versatile approach may seed new arena for topical wound healing in the near future.

The discovery of targeting ligand to cancer cells and the development of ligand-targeted therapy will help us to improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce side effects. Unlike other forms of therapy, it will allow us to maintain quality of life for patients, while efficiently attacking the cancer tissue. It indicates that ligands have a pivotal role in cancer cell targeting.

The development of various drug delivery systems to deliver curcumin will certainly provide a step up towards augmenting the therapeutic activity of curcumin thereby increasing the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. However, the future of such delivery technology will be highly dependent on the development of safe, non-toxic and non-immunogenic nanocarriers.