Intrinsic Permeation and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation of Curcumin, Bisdemethoxycurcumin and Bisdemethylcurcumin by a Validated HPLC-UV Method

Abstract

Curcumin shows anti-inflammatory activity, and it has been widely investigated for neurodegenerative diseases, adjuvant treatment in AIDS and antitumor activity against different tumors, among other activities. The goal of this work was to evaluate the capacity of curcumin and its derivatives (bisdemethoxycurcumin and bisdemethylcurcumin) in preventing the irritant effects of topically applied xylol and to assess the intrinsic capacity of curcuminoids in permeating human skin by ex vivo permeation tests. Its secondary goal was to validate an HPLC method to simultaneously determine the curcuminoids in the samples from the ex vivo permeation studies and drug extraction from the skin. Curcuminoid quantification was performed using an RP-C18 column, at isocratic conditions of elution and a detection wavelength of 265 nm. The method was specific with a suitable peak resolution, as well as linear, precise, and accurate in the range of 0.195–3.125 μg/mL for the three curcuminoids. Bisdemethylcurcumin showed the greatest permeation through the human skin, and it was the curcuminoid that was most retained within the human skin. The anti-inflammatory activity of the curcuminoids was evaluated in vivo using a xylol-induced inflammation model in rats. Histological studies were performed to observe any changes in morphology at the microscopic level, and these three curcuminoids were found to be respectful within the skin structure. These results show that these three curcuminoids are suitable for anti-inflammatory formulations for dermal applications, and they can be properly quantified using HPLC-UV.

Comparative Study of the Effects of Curcuminoids and Tetrahydrocurcuminoids on Melanogenesis: Role of the Methoxy Groups

“…In a previous investigation [76], the ex vivo skin permeation of curcumin and BDC was assessed, revealing that BDC demonstrated remarkable permeation and retention capabilities within the skin, surpassing those of curcumin. The authors attributed the absence of methoxy groups in BDC to its enhanced dermal tissue penetration capacity.…”

Curcumin Electrochemistry—Antioxidant Activity Assessment, Voltammetric Behavior and Quantitative Determination, Applications as Electrode Modifier

“…Despite the fact that CU ingestion presents a high degree of safety for animals, considering its concentration-dependent anti-and pro-oxidant activity towards DNA and also other possible side effects that could appear after the administration of high CU doses, it is important to have simple and rapid methods for its sensitive and selective quantification in foods and dietary supplements, as well as in biological samples. The recent literature includes reports related to the spectrometric [65][66][67][68], fluorimetric [57,[69][70][71], chromatographic [72][73][74][75], and electrochemical [19,23,[76][77][78] analysis of CU. Analytical methods applied to curcuminoids assessment in turmeric, including CU, were reviewed in 2019 by Kotra et al [79], with special emphasis on the chromatographic and spectrometric ones, electrochemical methods being very briefly mentioned.…”

Electrochemical Analysis of Curcumin in Real Samples Using Intelligent Materials

“…People use it in traditional cooking, and it is included in some health supplements. Because it is important in food and has health perks, it is essential to find good ways to quickly and accurately quantify its presence [1,2]. Analysis is crucial, as is the quantification of bioactive compounds in foods, to ensure food safety and evaluate its nutritional quality [3].…”