Nano-curcumin: A potential herbal alternative with enhanced anti-E. gingivalis efficacy

Curcumin is a bioactive component derived from Curcuma longa and well known for its medicinal properties. The major disadvantage associated with the use of curcumin as a medicine is its low systemic bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility. These limitations can be overcome by the converting the curcumin to nanocurcumin. The present study was to prepare the nano-particles of curcumin with improved aqueous solubitity and to investigate their efficacy in vitro against protozoa Entamoeba gingivalis, presence of which in the oral cavity is associated with poor oral hygiene leading to advanced periodontal disease. Curcumin nanoparticles of particle size in the range 70-80 nm with the aqueous solubility of up to a maximum of 3 mg/mL were prepared. The anti-amoebic activities of nanocurcumin were tested against Entamoeba gingivalis strain (ATCC 30927) in vitro. The cultures were observed under an inverted microscope and numbers of the trophozoites were counted. The inhibition caused by the curcumin, nanocurcumin and metronidazole at various concentrations was calculated by counting the viable trophozoits using the hemocytometer under the microscope. The inhibition results showed more than 80% killing of E. gingivalis, which is comparable with that of standard drug Metronidazole demonstrating that nanocurcumin can act as a potential anti-parastics herbal drug.