TETRAHYDROCURCUMIN
Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is a semi-synthesized product from Curcumin, it exhibits many of the same physiologic and pharmacological activities as curcumin but at higher levels of effectiveness.
In general, THC is an antioxidative substance, anti-inflammatory element and antimicrobial. According to many studies, THC is much more effective than Curcumin in the same purpose of use, moreover, the range of microbial target and medical treatment is larger:
• Antioxidative substance: THC was found to be the most active compound compared to curcumin and trolox at all concentrations tested in scavenging of superoxide anion [1]
• Antidiabetic action: THC helps control glucose level in blood, reducing risk of diabetes [2]
• Anticarcinogenic attributes: due to anti-inflammatory ability, THC inhibits the development and spearding of tumor cells [3]
On the other hand, THC encounters the same disadvantages like Curcumin, its dispersion ability in water is extremely poor and it is sensitive to surrounding environment at ambient temperature. Consequently, its ultilization and effectiveness meets hug obstacle in reality.
Hence, Wakanomo had researched and developed newly modernized THC at nano scale to eliminate the drawbacks and maximize the effects of THC.
With advantages of Nano technology, there are several characteristic of THC enhanced:
• It is fully dispersed in water helping more flexible to apply into realitic product like food, cosmetic or supplement dietary
• It can deeply penetrate through intestine barrier leading the increase in absorption
• THC concentration is remained through stomach digestion due to protective layer
• THC nanoparticle is endurable with sunlight and oxidative agents. [4]
THC is a preeminent biological active substance, with the creation of nano THC, those bioactivities will bring maximum benefits in medical treatment. Nano THC is the basis for widespread application of THC in commercial products as the physical and chemical disadvantages of THC have been innovated.
References
[1] Prabhu P.R., Hegde K., et al.,“Scavenging potential of reactive oxygen species by Tetra-hydrocurcumin”, Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 01 (05), 114 -118, (2011)
[2] Murugan, P. & Pari, L., “Antioxidant effect of tetrahydrocurcumin in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats.”, Life Sciences, 79 (18), (2006) 1720-1728.
[3] Yoysungnoen B., et al., “Effects of Tetrahydrocurcumin on Tumor Growth and Cellular Signaling in Cervical Cancer Xenografts in Nude Mice”, BioMed Research International, 2016.
[4] Songtipya, Ladawan, Mark C. Thies, and Amporn Sane. “Effect of rapid expansion of subcritical solutions processing conditions on loading capacity of tetrahydrocurcumin encapsulated in poly (l-lactide) particles.” The Journal of Supercritical Fluids 113 (2016): 119-127
CURCUMIN and NANO CURCUMIN
In the past, Tumeric (Curcuma longa) had been known as popular spice as well as traditional medicine which helps in medical treatments of illnesses such as dermatologic diseases, infection, stress, and depression.
Scientists revealed that Curcumin, a polyphenol and a main major component in turmeric undertakes the ability of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and numerous medical treatments in our body such as:
• Gastroprotective action: A study on rats was conducted, the result showed a possitive outcome when the number of rat having ulcer was reduced remarkably and the total gastric juice was under control. [1]
• Hepatoprotective effect: After 2 months using 1000mg/day in 2 divided doses of Curcumin, serum levels of AST and ALT were reduced by the end of trial in the curcumin group but elevated in the placebo group. [2]
• Support tumor treatment: Accumulating evidence suggests that the mode of curcumin-induced cell death is mediated both by the activation of cell death pathways and by the inhibition of growth/proliferation pathways. [3]
However, because of natural compound’s characteristic, Curcumin is hardly dispersed in water and poorly absorpted in intestine:
• The gastrointestinal tract slightly absorbs curcumin with the solubility at its maximum level of 11ng/ml in plain aqueous buffer pH 5.0 which causes which has a very low therapeutic effect
• Curcumin’s solubility in water is about 0.0004 mg/ml at pH 7.3.
In order to overcome these disadvantages, Nano Technology is studied and applied into Curcumin to solve this problem. With Nano Technology, the bioavailibility and application range of Curcumin are both increased:
(A) Curcumin in water (B) Nano Curcumin in water
• The absorption of Nano Curcumin in body is 185 times higher than original Curcumin. [4]
• Bioavailibility and pharmarceutical kinectic is boosted, thus the possitive outcome in medial treatment is enhanced.[4]
• Despite of nano scale, Nano Curcumin is considered as safety to use in oral administration. [5]
• Nano stureture limits the degradation of Curcumin by surrounding environment.
• With nano particle size, Curcumin is easily dispersed in water, leading to more convinent application into numeros type of products in different aspect such as: food, supplement dietary, medicine, cosmetic, etc.
The application of nanotechnology has brought special properties to curcumin. The increase in absorption of Curcumin in the body helps minimize the time to treat diseases and save money. Besides, adding Curcumin to the product will not be a difficult problem for the manufacturer.
Comparision between Curcumin and Nano Curcumin
References
[1] Tuorkey M., Karolin K., “Anti-ulcer activity of curcumin on experimental Gastric Ulcer In Rats and Its Effect on Oxidative Stress / Antioxidant, IL-6 and enzyme activities”, Biomedical and Environmental Science, 22, 488 – 495, 2009.
[2]Panahi, Yunes, et al., “Efficacy and Safety of Phytosomal Curcumin in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial”, Phytosomal Curcumin in NAFLD … Drug Res; 67; 2017; 244 – 251
[3]Ravindran, Prasad S., “Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively?”, AAPS J., 2009
[4]Panahi, Yunes, et al., “Efficacy and Safety of Phytosomal Curcumin in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial”, Phytosomal Curcumin in NAFLD … Drug Res; 67; 2017; 244 – 251
[5]Kocher A., Bohnert L., “Highly bioavailable micellar curcuminoids accumulate in blood, are safe and do not reduce blood lipids and inflammation markers in moderately hyperlipidemic individuals”, Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016
WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.
How it Started
The ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started with a talk entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was used. In his talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules. Over a decade later, in his explorations of ultraprecision machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology. It wasn’t until 1981, with the development of the scanning tunneling microscope that could “see” individual atoms, that modern nanotechnology began.
Fundamental Concepts in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
It’s hard to imagine just how small nanotechnology is. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 10-9 of a meter. Here are a few illustrative examples:
- There are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch
- A sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick
- On a comparative scale, if a marble were a nanometer, then one meter would be the size of the Earth
Nanoscience and nanotechnology involve the ability to see and to control individual atoms and molecules. Everything on Earth is made up of atoms—the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the buildings and houses we live in, and our own bodies.
Medieval stained glass windows are an example of how nanotechnology was used in the pre-modern era. (Courtesy: NanoBioNet)
But something as small as an atom is impossible to see with the naked eye. In fact, it’s impossible to see with the microscopes typically used in a high school science classes. The microscopes needed to see things at the nanoscale were invented relatively recently—about 30 years ago.
Once scientists had the right tools, such as the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM), the age of nanotechnology was born.
Although modern nanoscience and nanotechnology are quite new, nanoscale materials were used for centuries. Alternate-sized gold and silver particles created colors in the stained glass windows of medieval churches hundreds of years ago. The artists back then just didn’t know that the process they used to create these beautiful works of art actually led to changes in the composition of the materials they were working with.
Today’s scientists and engineers are finding a wide variety of ways to deliberately make materials at the nanoscale to take advantage of their enhanced properties such as higher strength, lighter weight, increased control of light spectrum, and greater chemical reactivity than their larger-scale counterparts.
Source: https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition