• Km Shaheen

Curcumin, the main curcuminoid in turmeric (Curcuma longa), has gotten a lot of attention from scientists because it has been linked to many biological activities, such as being anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, and beneficial for metabolism. Despite strong preclinical evidence, curcumin's poor oral bioavailability, fast metabolism, and limited tissue distribution have made it hard to use in clinical settings. This review consolidates contemporary insights into curcumin's chemistry and pharmacology, elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings of its low bioavailability and contemporary strategies devised to mitigate these challenges, encompassing formulation techniques (nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, solid dispersions), adjuvants (piperine), and structural analogues. The article also looks at pharmacokinetic data in a critical way, talks about ways to measure curcumin and its metabolites, looks at safety and tolerability, and points out gaps in knowledge and future directions that could speed up the process of making curcumin into a medicine.

Curcumin, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, nanoparticles, liposomes, piperine, metabolism, curcuminoids, delivery systems

"GOLDEN MOLECULES - THE BIOAVAILABILITY PUZZLE OF CURCUMIN", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no.f325-f332, September-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509542.pdf

"GOLDEN MOLECULES - THE BIOAVAILABILITY PUZZLE OF CURCUMIN", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no. ppf325-f332, September-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509542.pdf