Title:Curcumin-based Nanoformulations to Target Breast Cancer: Current
Trends and Challenges
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Author(s): Adnan Badran, Joelle Mesmar, Nadine Wehbe, Riham El Kurdi, Digambara Patra*Elias Baydoun*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Biology, American
University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Keywords:
Curcumin, breast cancer, delivery, nanoformulation, nanotechnology, therapeutic potential.
Abstract: Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers in women worldwide, and despite
significant improvements in treatment modalities, the prognosis of this cancer is still poor.
Herbs and plant extracts have been associated with various health benefits, and traditional folk
medicine is still receiving great interest among patients as proven by accumulated records, tolerable
side effects of herbal compounds compared to their synthetic counterparts, and low cost. Curcumin
is a polyphenol identified as the main active ingredient in turmeric and has been used in the
treatment of various diseases and ailments. Additionally, the pharmacological activities of curcumin
on many cancers have been investigated substantially due to its ability to regulate many signaling
pathways involved in cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the low solubility and
bioavailability of curcumin limit its benefits, urging the need for new curcumin formulations and
delivery systems. Nanotechnology has been widely publicized in cancer treatment not only to overcome
the limitations of poorly soluble and physiologically unstable compounds but also to improve
the delivery of the drug to the diseased site and cellular uptake. In this review, we summarized the
main anti-tumor effect of curcumin and its mode of action on breast cancer and focused on the anticancer
efficacy of various and recent curcumin nanoformulations and delivery systems. Such nanotechnological
systems could pave the way to address a new future direction in this research area,
enhancing the therapeutic potential of curcumin in the treatment of breast cancer. In the next few
years, there will be more focus on developing curcumin-based materials for breast cancer treatment.