Abstract
Background. According to previous studies, oral administration of curcumin elucidates anti-inflammatory effect irrespective of its poor bioavailability. This study aims to measure the efficacy of lyophilized curcumin extracts with iontophoresis in arthritic rat models. Methods. Lyophilization and characterization of curcumin using the standard HPTLC method was carried out followed by induction of inflammatory arthritis in male albino rats. The animals were then treated with curcumin in three different forms, i.e., oral curcumin (OCU), oral curcumin with topical application (OCU + TOCU), and oral curcumin along with iontophoretically applied curcumin (OCU + IOCU). Various objective variables including body weight, paw edema, arthritic scores, and hematological and biochemical parameters, as well as histopathological examinations were conducted. Results. All the curcumin-treated groups showed significant alleviation of arthritic condition (p*<0.05) when compared with arthritic controls. Group V (OCU + IOCU) demonstrated maximum therapeutic effect by restoring the body weight, decreasing the paw edema, and normalizing the Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and leukocyte count, when compared with other experimental rat groups (p**<0.01). Conclusions. Iontophoretic administration of curcumin may ameliorate arthritic symptoms significantly, and the effect is assumed to be due to better penetration and enhanced bioavailability. Geriatrics patients are supposed to be benefited fairly by this technique.