Vietnam Produces Anti-Cancer Nano Curcumin for First Time
Vietnam has for the first time succeeded in applying nanotechnology to produce Nano Curcumin—a substance that can help cure cancer, according to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. The breakthrough is a result of a two-year research project conducted by scientists at the National Chemistry Institute of the Academy. The Nano Curcumin is exacted from local yellow turmeric, commonly known as Curcuma longa, and can help improve the remedy of several diseases, especially cancer. The product is five times cheaper than the imports, said Pham Huu Ly from the institute. According to Prof. Nguyen Khanh Trach, chairman of the Vietnam Internal Medicine Association, the project has marked an important step in applying nanotechnology to the medical and pharmaceutical sectors in Vietnam, where up to 150,000 people suffer from cancer and 75,000 die of the disease each year. Vietnam has become the 10th country worldwide to make such curcumin using nanotechnology. (vietnamplus.vn Oct 31, Tuoi Tre – Youth Oct 30)
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a precious medical plant which is highly appreciated among the many Vietnamese traditional medical plants. For centuries, Vietnamese people have used turmeric as a traditional condiment, creating yellow colour and special flavour for the dish. Turmeric is also a precious folklore medicine with many uses such as clearing scars, treating stomachache, detoxifying liver, and helping women after giving birth to involute their womb, recover shape and beautify skin.
Nowadays, scientists have discovered active elements making yellow and bringing the effect of turmeric. It is Curcumin, accounting for only 0.3% of the volume. The research results proved that Curcumin has valuable bioactive element, which has the effect of preventing diseases such as cancer, diseases of the digestive system, cardiovascular system and nervous system. However, the solubility of curcumin in H2O is very low so its capacity of biological absorption is also very low. Therefore, so far, the practical application of Curcumin in medicine and pharmacy has been limited. To overcome this drawback, scientists studied and developed nanotechnology, using nano-sized pharmaceutical product systems such as loposome and polymersome to manufacture complexes and water-soluble derivatives of Curcumin.
In Vietnam, scientists from major researching centres have conducted trials to produce Nano Curcumin materials from yellow turmeric. Assoc. Prof. Pham Huu Ly from the Institute of Chemistry under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and his colleagues successfully produced Nano Curcumin in pilot scale. The product is commercialized under the registered name of Curmanano. It has sizes under 10nm. It can dissolve in water and is quickly absorbed through the cell membrane. Its bioavailability is up to 80-95%, bringing effective treatment 40 times higher than normal Curcumin. Curmanano is material to produce CumarGold – the first product containing NanoCurcumin in Vietnam, which helps to prevent and provide effective treatment for incurable and chronic diseases.
In distilled water, Nano Curcumin particles have size of about 50-70nm, while biological absorption channels of cell have size of about 200nm. Therefore, Nano Curcumin absorbs quickly and completely into blood, tissues, fluids in the body and cells, providing high efficiency in treatment.
Nano Curcumin was piloted on SKBR3 lung cancer cell of Sprague-Dawley male mouse (which weights about 250-290g). Nano Curcumin dose is 200mg/kg body weight (equivalent 40mg Curcumin is diluted into 1% solution in water and put straight into stomach by cannula). After 14 to 16 hours, Curcumin nanoparticles (red) have high penetration levels in the SKBR3 lung cancer cell (blue).