DEVELOPMENT OF CURCUMIN TOPICAL EMULSION FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS TREATMENT

Abstract

Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis/OA) affects many people worldwide. In 2018, 8.5% of Indonesian women and 6.1% of men had the condition. Both nonpharmacologic and pharmacological therapies are available. Pharmaceutical side effects are reduced when osteoarthritis is treated with natural ingredients. Curcumin is chosen for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. This research seeks the ideal curcumin content, oil type, and pH in topical emulsion for OA treatment. It will also design production method and test its stability. Multiple research in early experiments reults in the emulsion formula with 0.25% curcumin extract in water-in-oil emulsion using virgin coconut oil (VCO) or rice-bran oil (RBO). Oil phase was mixed and melted at 55oC with added curcumin, then water phase with pH adjusted using glycolic acid was added and homogenized. Curcumin degradation was greatest at 55–65°C, with an IC50 of 29.04 PPM in the emulsion. VCO has less antioxidant activity than RBO, even though VCO was found to be more stable. At pH 4 and 5, both oils were more stable than at pH 7. The pH 4 RBO formulation shown higher stability of color. No phase separation was observed during 14 days stability tests for both oil. Rice bran oil emulsion with 0.25% curcumin, and pH 4 is considered optimum.