Introduction: The polyphenolic spice and food coloring ingredient curcumin has beneficial effects in a broad variety of inflammatory diseases. Amongst them, curcumin has been shown to attenuate microglia reaction and prevent from glial scar formation in spinal cord and brain injuries.
Methods: We developed a protocol for the efficient encapsulation of curcumin as a model for anti-inflammatory drugs yielding long-term stable, non-toxic liposomes with favorable physicochemical properties. Subsequently, we evaluate the effects of liposomal curcumin in experimental models for neuroinflammation and reactive astrogliosis.
Results: We could show that liposomal curcumin can efficiently reduce the reactivity of human microglia and astrocytes and preserve tissue integrity of murine organotypic cortex slices.
Discussion and perspective: In perspective, we want to administer this curcumin formulation in brain implant coatings to prevent neuroinflammation and glial scar formation as foreign body responses of the brain towards implanted materials.
Keywords: brain implants; glial scar; nanoparticles; neuroinflammation.
© 2020 Schmitt et al.