CAVACURMIN ® - Wacker Chemie AG

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CAVACURMIN®

HIGHLY BIOAVAILABLE CURCUMIN

Curcumin and its derivatives, commonly known as curcuminoids, are biologically active constituents of the herb curcuma longa or turmeric. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant: it has been shown to exhibit remarkable joint function anti-inflammatory effects.

The bioavailability of diet-derived polyphenols varies greatly and curcumin is known not to be readily absorbed by the body. WACKER developed a solution for increasing the bioavailibilty of functional ingredients and offers one of the highest bioavailable curcumin formulations: CAVACURMIN®.

CAVACURMIN Study

Bioavailability study published in European Journal of Nutrition: CAVACURMIN® increases Curcumin’s bioavailability by a factor of 40.

Download full article here (PDF | 1.2 MB) .

Get in touch with our experts here .

Graph 1: Blood concentration of CAVACURMIN® compared with standard curcumin and commercial curcumin products was significantly higher in the first few hours after intake.

Human Bioavailability in a Clinical Study (2013)

Set Up:

The relative absorption of CAVACURMIN® was compared to standard 95% curcumin extract and two leading commercial products claiming to have enhanced bioavailability in a clinical setting.

12 individuals (fasted overnight) were given three different bioavailable curcumin preparations and standard curcumin orally – with a one-week washout period in between the four formulations. After product intake, blood was drawn hourly for 12 hours and analyzed (spiked plasma samples). Blood concentration and the relative absorption of curcumin and its derivatives were determined.

Graph 2: After oral intake of standard curcumin, two commercial bioavailable formulations (CP-1 and CP-2), and CAVACURMIN®, the relative absorption of total curcuminoids was compared in each case. The results showed a significantly higher relative absorption of CAVACURMIN®.

Result:

CAVACURMIN® was around 40 times more efficiently absorbed compared to pure curcumin powder and some leading commercial curcumin supplement products. The highly superior performance of CAVACURMIN® was demonstrated by the fact that the curcumin uptake was at least 4.6 times higher than the next-best commercial curcumin formulation in this clinical study (see graphs 1 and 2).

Conclusion:

These results clearly underline the significant increase in bioavailability of curcumin in a cyclodextrin-based formulation. Furthermore, these data suggest that CAVACURMIN® can provide the benefits of the powerful antioxidant curcumin to a much greater extent than existing commercial products.

Graph 3: Total curcuminoids: sum of free curcumin, curcumin sulfates and curcumin glucuronides; CP = commercial product

Pre-Clinical Trials

In Vivo Bioavailability in a Rodent Model (2009)

Set Up:

Total concentrations of curcuminoids in the blood plasma (0-4 hours) of Sprague Dawley rats were recorded after one oral gavage (500 mg/kg body weight) of three curcumin preparations: standard curcumin extract, brand name curcumin (= CP) and CAVACURMIN®. Plasma was analyzed for free curcumin and curcumin metabolites (curcumin sulfates and curcumin glucuronides) by HPLC (0-4 hours).

Result:

Animals that received CAVACURMIN® showed a 10 to 20 times higher amount of total curcuminoids in their blood plasma, expressed as the sum of free curcumin and its metabolites, than animals that received a commercial product or pure curcumin powder.

Conclusion:

This huge difference in HPLC-measured curcumin metabolites indicates that a maximum amount of curcumin was delivered into the blood stream of the rats, which can only be explained by the very highly bioavailable CAVACURMIN® (see graph 3).

Graph 4: Caco-2 model: absorption of CAVACURMIN® in comparison to leading commercial products; CP = commercial product

In Vitro Bioavailability in a Human Caco-2 Model (2011))

Set Up:

The dissolution profile of five curcumin preparations (standard curcumin extract, three leading brand name curcumin products = “CP” and CAVACURMIN®) in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, 0.5% SDS) followed by the uptake of Caco-2 cells (human gut cell model) was investigated.

Result:

CAVACURMIN® was up to five times more efficiently dissolved compared to leading commercial curcumin supplement products or curcumin powder itself.

The following uptake study with human Caco-2 cells also demonstrates a superior performance by CAVACURMIN®. The uptake was up to 10 times higher than for other leading commercial curcumin formulations or curcumin powder itself (see graph 4).

Conclusion:

These results clearly underline the significant increase in bioavailability of curcumin in a gammadextrin-based formulation.

CAVACURMIN® is WACKER’s highly bioavailable curcumin powder. Bioavailabilty is around 40 times higher, as demonstrated in a human clinical study conducted by WACKER (please see tab „Scientific Evidence“).

Your Benefit:
By complexation with the food-approved CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin, WACKER offers an excellent solution for increasing the bioavailibilty of hydrophobic health-promoting ingredients such as curcumin. CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin is an allergen-free1, naturally occurring oligosaccharide, kosher, halal and food-approved in the US, Canada, Europe and in most Asian and Latin American countries. It is manufactured from starch, thus using solely renewable and sustainable sources.

CAVACURMIN® is manufactured using a 95%, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) curcumin extract.

Enhanced Bioavailability – How?
The special feature of CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin is its donut-shaped, three-dimensional structure: it creates an inner hydrophobic cavity which is able to accommodate a lipophilic molecule such as curcumin as a “guest.” The hydrophilic exterior, on the other hand, ensures compatibility in aqueous systems. In the presence of water, CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin produces molecular dispersions, resulting in much enhanced bioavailability of the hydrophobic curcumin.

Product Features:
CAVACURMIN® is supplied as a dry, free-flowing powder.

Application Areas:
It is thus ideal for use in dry or powdery dietary supplements, such as tablets and capsules. Since it disperses easily in aqueous systems, it is also available for use in beverages.

Our experts look forward to helping you create the healthy and bioavailable products of tomorrow.

1According to 2003/89/EC and 2006/142/EC.


Mechanism of CAVACURMIN®

  1. Taken as a dietary supplement, mostly in the form of a capsule, CAVACURMIN® is transported unchanged through the stomach into the upper intestinal tract.
  2. There, only the curcumin molecules are absorbed into the body from the epithelial cell membrane.
  3. The gamma-cyclodextrin is hydrolyzed by human pancreatic amylase, yielding mainly maltose, some maltotriose and smaller amounts of glucose.
  4. Maltose and maltotriose are degraded to glucose, which is then being absorbed from the small intestine into the blood.
  5. Around 40 times more curcumin is absorbed directly into the blood, compared to pure curcumin powder and some leading commercial curcumin supplement products, as shown in our human bioavailability study.

Curcumin has been widely used for centuries and is a well-known substance used in the traditional Ayurvedic approach to nutrition. Modern science has provided a solid basis for such uses and current clinical trials make curcumin one of the best investigated natural compounds to date.

The most recent human clinical studies are summarized below:

Arthritis

  • Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter study ( Kuptniratsaikul u. a., 2014 )
  • Ability of curcuminoid compared to diclofenac sodium in reducing the secretion of cycloxygenase-2 enzyme by synovial fluid's monocytes of patients with osteoarthritis ( Kertia u. a., 2012 )
  • The efficacy of Curcuma Longa L. extract as an adjuvant therapy in primary knee osteoarthritis: a randomized control trial ( Pinsornsak und Niempoog, 2012 )
  • Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis ( Kuptniratsaikul u. a., 2009 )

Gastrointestinal System

  • Tolerability of curcumin in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: a forced-dose titration study ( Suskind et al., 2013 )
  • Effects of various food ingredients on gall bladder emptying ( Marciani et al., 2013 )
  • Curcumin maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis: randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial ( Hanai et al., 2006 )
  • Curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study ( Holt et al., 2005 )

Anti-Inflammatory

  • The use of an anti-inflammatory supplement in patients with chronic kidney disease ( Moreillon et al., 2013 )

Nervous System

  • MGAT3 mRNA: a biomarker for prognosis and therapy of Alzheimer's disease by vitamin D and curcuminoids ( Fiala et al., 2011 )
  • 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 interacts with curcuminoids to stimulate amyloid-beta clearance by macrophages of Alzheimer's disease patients ( Masoumi et al., 2009 )

Blood Lipid Levels

  • Lipid-lowering effects of curcumin in patients with metabolic syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. ( Yang et al., 2014 )
  • Curcuminoids exert glucose-lowering effect in type 2 diabetes by decreasing serum free fatty acids: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial ( Na et al., 2013 )
  • Effect of different curcuminoid supplement dosages on total in vivo antioxidant capacity and cholesterol levels of healthy human subjects ( Pungcharoenkul and Thongnopnua, 2011 )

Cancer

  • Curcumin for radiation dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of thirty breast cancer patients ( Ryan et al., 2013 )
  • Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, and curcumin: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over 4g study and an open-label 8g extension study ( Golombick et al., 2012 )
  • Phase IIa clinical trial of curcumin for the prevention of colorectal neoplasia ( Carroll et al., 2011 )
  • Upregulation of p53 expression in patients with colorectal cancer by administration of curcumin ( He et al., 2011 )
  • Phase I dose escalation trial of docetaxel plus curcumin in patients with advanced and metastatic breast cancer ( Bayet-Robert et al., 2010 )
  • Curcumin and gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer ( Epelbaum et al., 2010 )

1. What is the difference between turmeric, curcuma longa and curcumin?

Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid found in turmeric. Turmeric is a rhizome with the botanical name “curcuma longa.” The curcuminoid curcumin is considered its most active component. Other curcuminoids present in turmeric rhizomes are demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin.

2. What is the difference between curcuma longa (curcumin) extract and CAVACURMIN®?

Curcuma longa or turmeric extract is usually standardized to 95% curcuminoids consisting of about 65-80% curcumin,15-20% demethoxycurcumin and 2-5% bis-demethoxycurcumin.

CAVACURMIN® is a physical mixture of gamma-cyclodextrin and a 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract (not just curcumin). Gamma-cyclodextrin is a non-allergenic, vegetarian oligosaccharide used as hydrophilic carrier to improve the bioavailability of the water-insoluble curcuminoids, especially curcumin, by a factor greater than 40.

3. How is CAVACURMIN® different from other bioavailable curcumin products?

CAVACURMIN® consists only of curcuminoids and a safe hydrophilic carrier gamma-cyclodextrin. CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin is a non-allergenic, vegetarian oligosaccharide.

CAVACURMIN® clinically demonstrated a bioavailability that was more than 40 times better than standard 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract and exhibited significantly higher relative absorption when compared to other leading bioavailable commercial curcumin products. The bioavailability of CAVACURMIN® was assessed in a double-blind, cross-over human study comparing our product not only with a standard but also with the two leading competitor formulations. The study was conducted with a verifiable low-fat diet to exclude the effect of fat/oil on the absorption of curcumin.

4. What pre-clinical and clinical studies have been done?

  • An in vivo bioavailability study in a rodent model (conducted in Canada, 2009):
    Plasma curcumin concentrations (0-4 hours) of rats were recorded after oral gavage of one dose of CAVACURMIN®. Animals that received CAVACURMIN® showed a 10 to 20 times higher amount of total curcuminoids in their blood plasma, expressed as the sum of free curcumin and its metabolites, than animals that received a commercial supplement product or pure 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract powder
  • An in vitro bioavailability in a (human) Caco-2 model (conducted in Germany, 2011):
    The dissolution profile in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, 0.5% SDS) followed by the uptake of Caco-2 cells (human gut cell model) was investigated. CAVACURMIN® was up to five times more efficiently dissolved compared to three leading commercial curcumin supplement products or 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract powder itself. The uptake of Caco-2 cells was up to 10 times higher than for other leading commercial curcumin formulations or 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract powder itself. These results clearly underline the significant increase in bioavailability of curcumin in a gamma-cyclodextrin-based formulation.
  • Human bioavailability in a clinical study (conducted in the US, 2013):
    In a clinical setting, the relative absorption of CAVACURMIN® was compared to standard 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) extract and two leading commercial products claiming to have enhanced bioavailability. The results showed that CAVACURMIN® was around 40 times more efficiently absorbed compared to curcumin extract powder itself and at least 4.4 times better than the next-best commercial curcumin formulation in this clinical study. For more details, please see tab “Scientific Evidence"

5. Is CAVACURMIN® tested for heavy metals?

Every batch of CAVACURMIN® produced is tested at an external lab in the US for heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury.

6. Is CAVACURMIN® allergen-free

Yes, CAVACURMIN® is free of allergens.1

7. Is CAVACURMIN® halal?

Yes, CAVACURMIN® is halal.

8. Is CAVACURMIN® kosher?

Yes, CAVACURMIN® is kosher.

9. What are the solvents used in the manufacture of CAVACURMIN®?

The raw material CAVAMAX® W8 gamma-cyclodextrin is manufactured from starch (of purely vegetable origin) using an enzyme of microbial origin. No solvents are used in this process.

The 95% turmeric (curcuma longa) used for the production of CAVACURMIN® is a pure natural substance and derived by solvent extraction of dried turmeric rhizomes. The solvents used are ethyl acetate or acetone. Both are listed in the EU 2009/32 directive as an extraction solvent which may be used during the processing of raw materials, of foodstuffs, of food components or of food ingredients without any specific limitations.

CAVACURMIN® is manufactured in a special WACKER process using only water.

10. Can CAVACURMIN® be taken with any other medication?

To date, there is no scientific evidence to prove that curcumin interacts with any medication. Please consult your physician or healthcare professional before consuming any supplements, including CAVACURMIN®.

11. What is the recommend dosage for CAVACURMIN®?

The recommended daily dosage for CAVACURMIN® is 1 g/day. Please consult your physician or healthcare professional before consuming any supplements including CAVACURMIN®.

12. Is CAVACURMIN® safe?

Curcumin has been widely used for centuries and is a well-known substance used in the traditional Ayurvedic approach to nutrition. Modern science has provided a solid basis for such uses (please see “Beneficial Effects” section for more details) and current clinical trials make curcumin one of the best investigated natural compounds to date. A positive safety profile at doses of 8-10 grams has been published in several clinical studies. CAVACURMIN® has been investigated in a human bioavailability study (15 individuals) with a dosage of 2 grams per day showing no adverse effects. The curcumin blood plasma levels achieved in the study are comparable to blood plasma levels reported in scientific literature as being safe.

13. What is the shelf life of CAVACURMIN®?

24 months from the date of manufacture.

14. What is CAVACURMIN® good for?

Please see tab “Beneficial Effects”.

1According to 2003/89/EC and 2006/142/EC.

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Disclaimer:

The information provided is addressed to an expert audience only and is available worldwide. It may contain statements that do not apply to your country. As claims do not refer to finished products, but solely to ingredients, they may not conform to Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006. It is up to the marketer of any finished product to ensure that the finished product containing such ingredients and the claims associated therewith are lawful and are in compliance with all valid legislation and regulations of the country or countries where said product is to be sold.