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FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
Ultra-high absorption formulation: curcuRouge®
Curcumin is excreted in vivo with little or no absorption. Through technological development, Therabiopharma has dramatically improved the absorption rate of curcumin in the body. Curcumin is originally yellow in color, but this technology has changed it to red by improving the absorption rate.
(Revolutionarily improved curcumin absorption)
An issue of Curcumin
Because of its large, hard crystalline structure, 99% of ordinary curcumin particles are expelled from the body. curcuRouge® breaks up the crystalline structure, allowing it to easily enter the surface cells of the intestinal tract and be absorbed into the body.
solution
High absorption technology : curcuRouge®
Bioavailability of curcumin is dramatically improved by making its strong crystals more easily breakable with technology (amorphous technology) developed by Therabiopharma Inc.
Comparison of solubility of curcumin and various curcumins in water
curcuRouge® shows the highest solubility in water among various curcumin products.
In vivo comparison among synthesized curcumin, Theracurmin and curcuRouge® ( absorbent comparison in animals)
cucuRouge® shows higher bioavailability than other curcumin products at in vivo study to administer curcumin to rats.
What is AUC (area under the blood concentration time curve)?
AUC is the approximate amount of active ingredient taken into the body. It is a graphical representation of how the blood concentration changes after taking it, and the area under the graph is calculated. This area is considered to be the total amount of the ingredient taken up by the body. If this value is high, it is considered hat the body has taken in more.
What is Cmax
(maximum blood concentration) ？
The maximum blood concentration (Cmax) is the highest concentration of an active ingredient in the blood.
The world's strongest highly absorbent curcumin
Confirmation of high absorption of curcuRouge® preparation in human test
(Crossover randomized control trial)
curcuRouge is 3.4 times higher in AUC and 5.4 times higher in maximum blood concentration than Theracurumin, indicating that more curcumin is absorbed in the body.
Study design:
Randomized double-blind two-way crossover study
Target audience:
12 healthy people aged 19 to 60
Reference:
A novel amorphous preparation improved curcumin bioavailability in healthy volunteers: A single-dose,
double-blind, two-way crossover study
Journal of Function Foods 81 (2021)104443
Excellent characteristics of curcuRouge®: High-speed passage through the blood-brain barrier and fast penetration into the brain.
(10mg/kg oral dose for rats, in vivo)
When rats were orally administered curcumin at a dose of 10 mg per kg of body weight, curcumin was observed to cross the blood-brain barrier and migrate to the brain in the curcuRouge®-treated group.
Research Reports on curcuRouge®
Here are videos and summaries of the seminars reported at the 144th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan in 2024 on the results of a study using curcuRouge®.
(Please also see the attached poster.)
Report 1:
Effectiveness of curcuRouge® against COVID-19 infections and a lowering effect on the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio
Koji Hasegawa (Director, Division of Translational Research, Clinical Research Institute, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center)
【Summary】
• Immunity enhancement effects
Oxidative stress and inflammation caused by aging and lifestyle have been shown to cause atherosclerosis, diabetes, and respiratory disease, and to increase the risk of infection due to a weakened immune system. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties and is thought to help balance the immune system. NLR (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) is an indicator of inflammation and is closely related to aging, the development of various diseases, and the severity of infections. Our clinical study has confirmed that intake of curcuRouge® lowers NLR, suggesting the possibility of improving immune function.
• COVID-19 infection
Curcumin has been reported its property to suppress viral growth and expected to be effective against COVID-19. The results of our clinical study using curcuRouge® indicated that it has decreased body temperature of the COVID-infected patients (reducing the amount of virus?) and may suppress the progression of the disease from mild to severe condition.
Report 2:
The effects of curcuRouge® in a rat model of Myocardial Infarction
Tatsuya Morimoto (Professor, Division of Molecular Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka)
【Summary】
Heart failure is a major health issue especially among elderly population, increasing number of patients according to aging. It is very important to prevent progression to heart failure since it has a significant impact on health condition and ultimately leads to shorten life expectancy.
Curcumin has potential to suppress progression to heart failure by inhibiting the function of biological factors affecting to progress heart failure.
We have confirmed that curcuRouge® has a more potent effect on improving cardiac function with lower doses compared to other highly-absorbed curcumin product and prevent heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy in the Myocardial Infarction rat model.
Report 3:
The effect of curcuRouge® on osteoarthritis of the knee
Yasuaki Nakagawa (Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery Department, Japan Baptist Hospital)
【Summary】
Osteoarthritis of the knee (knee OA) is common in the elderly and causes pain and limited range of motion due to age-related cartilage changes and progressive joint inflammation, which reduce quality of life.
Patients with early and advanced stages of knee OA administered curcuRouge® showed reduced pain, improved walking speed, decreased dependence on painkillers and decreased CRP, an inflammation marker.
□Bioavailability of commercially available
curcumin formulations
（Results of a systematic Review）
Journal title
Functional Food Science 2025, 5 (12): 782-804
Title
Pharmacokinetic studies of commercially available curcumin formulations in healthy humans: A systematic comparison with novel highly bioavailable curcuRouge® formulation
A systematic review of bioavailability based on a per mg curcumin dose was performed from the published studies of commercially available high-bioavailability curcumin formulations.
・curcuRouge® is 162.7 times higher relative bioavailability per mg curcumin compared to
standard curcumin extracts.
・curcuRouge® shows the highest bioavailability per mg curcumin among absorption-enhanced curcumin formulations.
A Systematic Review is a research method that aims to answer a specific question (for example, whether a particular treatment or ingredient is truly effective) by comprehensively compiling all relevant studies according to predefined rules, objectively evaluating their content and reliability, and summarizing what can be concluded overall.
Rather than selectively introducing studies that support a particular viewpoint, a systematic review clearly documents how the literature was searched, which studies were included or excluded, and the reasons for those decisions, before organizing and synthesizing the research findings.
As a result, personal biases and assumptions are minimized, and scientifically reliable conclusions can be reached.
In medicine and health sciences, systematic reviews are widely recognized as one of the most reliable sources of evidence for assessing the efficacy of treatments and preventive interventions.
Clinical trial plan (2020-)
(All randomized, double-blind, group-to-group study)
□Immunity enhancement effect
(20 cases × 2 groups) :Completed
Journal title
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 67, 249-252,2021
Title
Newly Developed Highly Bioavailable Curcumin Formulation, curcuRougeTM, Reduces Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio in the Elderly: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
□COVID-19 Infection (80 cases X 2 groups)
: Completed
Journal title
Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (2024) 43:93
Title
Efficacy of highly bioavailable oral curcumin in asymptomatic or mild COVID‑19 patients: a double‑blind, randomized, placebo‑controlled Trial
□Knee Osteoarthritis (Comparison with hyaluronic acid intra-
articular injection) (50 cases × 2 groups): Ongoing
□Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) (30 cases × 2 groups）: Ongoing
curcuRouge® capsule Launched in September 2020
Contains 1 capsule of 90 mg of curcumin / 225 mg of curcumin.
62 capsules per product (1 month)
(Ref.) MSRP (incl. tax) 62 capsules: ¥7,560 124 capsules: ¥13,600 10 capsules: ¥1,390