Abstract
Cancer is a life-threatening disease and is the second leading cause of death around the world. The increasing threats of drug-resistant cancers indicate that there is an urgent need for the improvement or development of more effective anticancer agents. Curcumin, a phenolic compound originally derived from turmeric plant (Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae family)) widely known as a spice and a coloring agent for food have been reported to possess notable anticancer activity by inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis, and enhancing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in various cancer cells. In spite of all these benefits, the therapeutic application of curcumin in clinical medicine and its bioavailability are still limited due to its poor absorption and rapid metabolism. Structural modification of curcumin through the synthesis of curcumin-based derivatives is a potential approach to overcome the above limitations. Curcumin derivatives can overcome the disadvantages of curcumin while enhancing the overall efficacy and hindering drug resistance. This article reports a review of published curcumin derivatives and their enhanced anticancer activities.
Highlights
Curcumin (Figure 1) is one of the most important components of the curcuminoids family [1].It is called as diferuloylmethane, which can be isolated from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. [2].It was first discovered in 1815, though its chemical structure was identified in 1973 by Roughley and Whiting with a melting point ranging from 176 ◦ C to 177 ◦ C [3,4]
Researchers have found that curcumin possesses anticancer properties because of its effect on many biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, oncogene expression, tumorigenesis, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and metastasis [11,12]
Since drug resistance is a major problem with the currently used anticancer drugs, many studies are focused on the design of potent anticancer agents that can overcome the problem of drug resistance which is common with most anticancer drugs [36]
Summary
Curcumin (Figure 1) is one of the most important components of the curcuminoids family [1]. It is called as diferuloylmethane, which can be isolated from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. Various researchers are concentrating on improving its bioavailability, therapeutic efficacy, and pharmacological properties for the treatment of human diseases through many methods, including the development of novel curcumin derivatives [6,7]. Researchers have found that curcumin possesses anticancer properties because of its effect on many biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, oncogene expression, tumorigenesis, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and metastasis [11,12]. Curcumin derivatives exhibited several anticancer activities in cancer cell[9,18].
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