Production of curcumin/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes by supercritical antisolvent process

In this work, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) based inclusion complexes containing curcumin (CURC), a yellow pigment from Curcuma longa plants, were obtained through the Supercritical AntiSolvent (SAS) process. Curcumin has been widely used for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiotic and antiviral properties. Recently, curcumin has been proposed as a potential treatment option for patients with coronavirus disease (CoVID-19). In order to protect the active compound, the supercritical antisolvent process was used, to induce the formation of inclusion complexes using β-CD as the carrier. The effect of different parameters, such as pressure, overall concentration of solutes in the liquid solution, and CURC/β-CD molar ratio, on the morphology and size of the composite particles, was investigated. Well-defined microparticles at 1/1 and 1/2 CURC/β-CD molar ratios were produced. The dissolution rate curve of the obtained inclusion complexes was compared to the one of the unprocessed CURC.