| Abstract: |
Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound isolated from Curcuma longa, exhibits remarkable pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, wound healing, and neuroprotective properties. Despite its broad therapeutic potential, clinical utilization of curcumin remains limited due to poor aqueous solubility, low permeability, rapid metabolism, and poor systemic bioavailability. Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) have emerged as a promising alternative approach for enhancing curcumin delivery while bypassing hepatic first-pass metabolism and gastrointestinal degradation. Among various transdermal carriers, hydrogel-based systems have attracted significant attention due to their high water content, biocompatibility, flexibility, skin adherence, and controlled release capability. Hydrogel-based transdermal patches provide sustained drug release, improved patient compliance, enhanced therapeutic efficacy, and reduced systemic adverse effects. This review comprehensively discusses skin anatomy, transdermal drug delivery mechanisms, hydrogel technology, physicochemical and pharmacological properties of curcumin, formulation strategies, evaluation techniques, drug release kinetics, optimization approaches, recent advancements in nanohydrogels and smart hydrogels, regulatory considerations, challenges, and future prospects. The review highlights the growing potential of hydrogel-based curcumin transdermal patches as next-generation drug delivery platforms for chronic inflammatory disorders, wound healing, cancer therapy, and dermatological applications. |
