ReviewPost screenCurcumin and its topical formulations for wound healing applications

•Curcumin has prospective wound-healing activity against chronic wounds.•It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.•Restrictive therapeutic role because of poor bioavailability and rapid metabolism.•Topical formulations of curcumin provide better delivery at wounded sites.

Oxidative damage and inflammation have been identified, through clinical and preclinical studies, as the main causes of nonhealing chronic wounds. Reduction of persistent chronic inflammation by application of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents such as curcumin has been well studied. However, low aqueous solubility, poor tissue absorption, rapid metabolism and short plasma half-life have made curcumin unsuitable for systemic administration for better wound healing. Recently, various topical formulations of curcumin such as films, fibers, emulsion, hydrogels and different nanoformulations have been developed for targeted delivery of curcumin at wounded sites. In this review, we summarize and discuss different topical formulations of curcumin with emphasis on their wound-healing properties in animal models.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (297KB)Download full-size imageDifferent topical formulations of curcumin for wound healing applications.