Curcumin Analogues as Novel Anti-Alzheimer's Candidates: Synthesis Development Strategy, In Vitro, Cell-Based and In Vivo Studies

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological illness that causes a wide range of cognitive symptoms linked to amyloid plaque deposition, neurofibrillary tangles, oxidative stress, and neuron death in the whole brain. Curcumin has shown promising efficacy in preclinical studies for AD treatment. However, it failed to exhibit expected clinical outcomes in clinical studies. Besides, this molecule has low stability, solubility, and bioavailability properties. Hence, scientists have synthesized several curcumin analogues to improve their bioavailability and biological activity. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the development of curcumin analogue synthesis published in 2016-2021 and its efficacy that reveals its effect as an anti-Alzheimer's candidate through in vitro, cell-based and in vivo studies. Pubmed and Scopus database search engine with the keywords "curcumin" AND "analogues" OR "analogs" AND "Alzheimer's" were used to find the relevant studies. In our review, we include sixteen eligible journal articles to discuss. Fifteen curcumin analogues exhibited promise efficacy in preclinical studies and are suitable for development as anti-Alzheimer's candidates. Further study should explore to confirm the curcumin analogues toxicity, develop an appropriate dosage form, and initiate clinical trials.