Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenolic compound derived from the rhizome of the herb curcuma longa, possesses a wide range of biological applications including cancer therapy. It is a low molecular weight polyphenol yellow compound. It has been widely used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine since the second millennium BC. Curcumin is a well studied natural compound due to its putative cancer prevention and anti-cancer activities which are mediated influencing multiple signalling path ways. One possible way to increase its aqueous solubility is to form inclusion complexes, i.e., to encapsulate curcumin as a guest within the internal cavity of a water –soluble host. The photo physical properties in curcumin vary significantly depending on the medium and there act as suitable tools for following the inclusion behaviour to different systems. Here, an attempt has been made to estimate the binding constant of 1:1 curcumin and β-cyclodextrin (βCD) complex by following the emission and absorption properties. The formation of inclusion complex of curcumin with β-cyclodextrin has been characterized by fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy.
