A novel study on curcumin metal complexes: solubility improvement, bioactivity, and trial burn wound treatment in rats

Abstract

This paper describes a new technique to enhance the solubility of metal curcumin complexes. The solubility of the complex has increased significantly by the homogenization technique with the assistance of surfactants. The optimum conditions of the method have been determined, such as time, temperature, and surfactant concentration. The antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities of these complexes have been studied. The results show that the curcumin complexes have promising potential in antibacterial, antioxidant, and in the treatment of restoring burns in rats. The wounds of rats, treated by using 0.2 mg mL⁻¹ of curcumin and its complex solutions three times daily, have wholly recovered after 12, 15, and 18 days of treatment with curcumin–Ca(II), curcumin–Zn(II), and curcumin–Fe(III), respectively.