Peak plasma
curcumin levels (median) following Theracurmin administration
were 324 ng/ml (range 47–1029 ng/ml) for level 1 and 440 ng/ml
(range 179–1380 ng/ml) for level 2. These values were significantly
higher than the median value (85 ng/ml) observed in the authors'
previous study using 8-g doses of conventional curcumin powder
[11]. With respect to safety, the toxicity was comparable with that
for gemcitabine-based chemotherapy alone, and repetitive expo-
sure to high concentrations of curcumin did not cause any
unexpected serious adverse events nor did they increase the
incidence of adverse events in patients with pancreatic cancer
receiving gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.