Preparation, characterization and in vitro release properties of pectin-based curcumin film

Curcumin is a kind of natural polyphenol whose functions are anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial with low side effects. Solubility of Cur in water is poor, which results in low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, instability and poor absorption in vivo. Based on the crosslinking mechanism of pectin-calcium, the curcumin-pectin film (PT-Curf) was prepared by casting method, where chitosan and sodium alginate were added to the film, forming a system for blending modification to improve the performance of PT-Curf. Furthermore, the release of the curcumin films in vitro was studied and the effects of natural polysaccharides on the drug delivery system were discussed. According to our results, the natural polysaccharides involving pectin, chitosan and sodium alginate were excellent carriers of the fat-soluble drug Cur, and Cur was uniformly dispersed in the composite films in different crystal forms. Out of different drug delivery media, the three films exhibited different release rate and sustained release effect in vitro. However, the pectin-sodium alginate curcumin film (PT-SA-Curf) exhibited the most sustained release effect, the pectin-chitosan curcumin film (PT-CS-Curf) was second.