Physicochemical investigations of nanoemulsified, curcumin-loaded, crosslinked κ-carrageenan hydrogels

Curcumin is a potent drug with several therapeutic benefits; however, its hydrophobicity and rapid metabolism restrict its biomedical application. Nanoemulsions improve the loading and site-specific curcumin delivery, while hydrogels act as a robust delivery vehicle. We synthesized curcumin nanoemulsion-based, crosslinked κ-carrageenan hydrogels using solvent displacement and ionotropic gelation techniques to provide the mutual advantages of nanoemulsions and hydrogels. The crosslinking effect of KCl, CaCl2, and their combination was used to gauge the hydrogels’ water retention, chemical composition, surface topography, and rheological features. The microstructure analysis showed that oil droplets were confined in the polymer network, and FTIR revealed no interaction between κ-carrageenan and curcumin, indicating that curcumin was incorporated within the matrix. The in vitro drug release study interpreted that hydrogels crosslinked with KCl show a better release behavior over others. This study compares the crosslinking efficiencies of KCl, CaCl2, and their combination in improving the curcumin release behavior from the hydrogels.