The role of coordination chemistry in the development of innovative Gallium-based bioceramics: the case of Curcumin

Curcumin, an active ingredient in the traditional Ayurvedic herbal remedy [Curcuma longa L.], isnowadays also employed in western medicine for its pleiotropic activities, ranging from anticancer to itsfree radical scavenger ability. These features are related to curcumin’s function as a metal chelator,especially being selective for hard Lewis acids, such as Ga3+ which has interesting pharmacologicalactivities. We report the synthesis and characterization of a bioactive gel and mesoporous Ga-containing phospho-silicate glasses loaded with curcumin, in which, for the first time, coordinationchemistry was taken advantage of in designing novel drug delivery systems. In particular, it was foundthat: (i) there is a direct correlation between the external surface area and the amount of loadedcurcumin; (ii) the presence of Ga3+ species on the surface increases the quantity of drug moleculesuploaded and slows down their release in the biological medium (SBF), hinting at a coordination-likeinteraction between curcumin and the surface metal ions; (iii) curcumin molecules released in the SBFsolution stabilize Ga3+ ions, avoiding their precipitation.