The food and biomedical applications of curcumin-loaded electrospun nanofibers: A comprehensive review

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Sep 10:1-28. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2251584. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Encapsulating curcumin (CUR) in nanocarriers such as liposomes, polymeric micelles, silica nanoparticles, protein-based nanocarriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanocrystals could be efficient for a variety of industrial and biomedical applications. Nanofibers containing CUR represent a stable polymer-drug carrier with excellent surface-to-volume ratios for loading and cell interactions, tailored porosity for controlled CUR release, and diverse properties that fit the requirements for numerous applications. Despite the mentioned benefits, electrospinning is not capable of producing fibers from multiple polymers and biopolymers, and the product's effectiveness might be affected by various machine- and material-dependent parameters like the voltage and the flow rate of the electrospinning process. This review delves into the current and innovative recent research on nanofibers containing CUR and their various applications.

Keywords: Curcumin-loaded nanofibers; biomedical engineering; electrospinning; food safety; tissue engineering.

Publication types

  • Review