Microbial Transformation of Curcumin and Synergistic Investigation of Its Derivatives with Piperine

Abstract

AbstractCurcumin is associated with a wide range of pharmacological properties for the prevention and treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. The clinical use of curcumin is limited due to its poor bioavailability. New methods were tried to overcome its limited utility, and one of these is the synthesis of new derivatives. Additionally adjunct compounds are used to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin. In order to improve its bioavailability, different formulation techniques such as co‐administration with piperine and nanoparticles are among the aids. Within the scope of this study, it is aimed to obtain curcumin derivatives by microbial transformation and to reveal their biological activities. Initially 25 different microbial strains were used for biotransformation experiments. Among the evaluated, Alternaria alternata converted three metabolites; namely, hexahydrocurcumin, demethoxyoctahydrocurcumin, octahydrocurcumin, were obtained with yields of 6.9 %, 2.6 % and 5.9 %, respectively. The derivatives were tested against various bacteria using the broth microdilution method, however no remarkable activity was observed (MIC>250 μg/ml). Thus, combination of piperine was evaulated on the bioavailability of curcumin derivatives. As a result, it was noted that the activities of metabolites, individually with piperine, were higher compared to the synergistic effect demonstrated by curcumin‐piperine against bacteria for the first time.