UK researchers work on turmeric derivative for glaucoma treatment

A team of researchers at UCL and Imperial College London, UK has reported a new method to deliver curcumin, extracted from the yellow spice turmeric, directly to the back of the eye using eye drops, overcoming the challenge of curcumin’s poor solubility.

 

The research team found the eye drops can reduce the loss of retinal cells in rats, which is known to be an early sign of glaucoma.

 

They are also investigating how the eye drops could be used as a diagnostic tool for a range of conditions.

 

The team developed a novel nanocarrier, wherein the curcumin is contained within a surfactant combined with a stabilizer, both of which are known to be safe for human use and are already in existing eye products. The nanocarrier can be used in eye drops to deliver much higher loads of curcumin than other products in development, increasing the drug’s solubility by a factor of almost 400,000, and localizes the curcumin in the eyes instead of throughout the body.