{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T01:08:40Z","timestamp":1792544920806,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,21]],"date-time":"2022-11-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1668988800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"\u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania","award":["5EXP\/1244\/30.01.2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["5EXP\/1244\/30.01.2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Curcumin (Cc) as an active substance is known for its anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antioxidant, and anti-carcinogenic effects, together with its role in cholesterol regulation, and its use in different gastrointestinal derangements. On the other hand, curcumin can be used for its properties as an inactive substance, with Cc particles being more often tested in pharmaceutical formulations for drug delivery, with promising safety records and kinetics. The aim of this research was to obtain and characterize polyurethane microparticles that can be used as a carrier with a controlled Cc release. Materials and Methods: The in vitro samples were characterized by the Zetasizer procedure, and UV\u2013Vis spectroscopy, while the in-vivo measurements on human subjects were performed by non-invasive skin assays (trans-epidermal water loss, erythema, and skin hydration). A total of 16 patients with oropharyngeal cancer stages II and III in equal proportions were recruited for participation. Results: The experimental values of sample characteristics using the Zetasizer identified a mean structural size of 215 nm in the polyester-urethane preparate (PU), compared to 271 nm in the curcumin-based PU. Although the size was statistically significantly different, the IPDI and Zeta potential did not differ significantly (22.91 mV vs. 23.74 mV). The average age during the study period was 57.6 years for patients in the PU group, respectively, and 55.1 years in those who received the curcumin preparations. The majority of oropharyngeal cancers were of HPV-related etiology. There were no significant side effects; 75.0% of patients in the PU group reporting no side effects, compared to 87.5% in the Cc group. The 48 h TEWL measurement at the end of the experiment found a statistically significant difference between the PU and the Cc group (2.2 g\/h\/m2 vs. 2.6 g\/h\/m2). The erythema assessment showed a starting measurement point for both research groups with a 5.1-unit difference. After 48 h, the difference between PU and PU_Cc was just 1.7 units (p-value = 0.576). The overall difference compared to the reference group with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was statistically significant at a 95% significance level. Conclusions: Our findings indicate the obtaining of almost homogeneous particles with a medium tendency to form agglomerations, with a good capacity of encapsulation (around 60%), a medium release rate, and a non-irritative potential. Therefore, this polyester-urethane with Cc microparticles can be tested in other clinical evaluations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina58111689","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,22]],"date-time":"2022-11-22T03:02:16Z","timestamp":1669086136000},"page":"1689","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Development and Preliminary Characterization of Polyester-Urethane Microparticles Used in Curcumin Drug Delivery System for Oropharyngeal Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"58","author":[{"given":"Alexandru","family":"Chioreanu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ion Cristian","family":"Mot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7210-1263","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Delia Ioana","family":"Horhat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicolae Constantin","family":"Balica","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristian Andrei","family":"Sarau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raluca","family":"Morar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eugenia Maria","family":"Domuta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Piata 1 Decembrie 10, 410073 Oradea, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catalin","family":"Dumitru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rodica Anamaria","family":"Negrean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bogdan Andrei","family":"Bumbu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Madhavi","family":"Ravulapalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of General Medicine, Bhaskar Medical College, Amdapur Road 156-162, Hyderabad 500075, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Satish","family":"Alambaram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of General Medicine, Bhaskar Medical College, Amdapur Road 156-162, Hyderabad 500075, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0743-1594","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raja","family":"Akshay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, Suraram Main Road 138, Hyderabad 500055, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marius","family":"Pricop","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.25122\/jml-2020-0010","article-title":"A Study on the Behavior of a Polyurethane Drug Carrier in Various pH Media","volume":"13","author":"Borcan","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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