Metal Complexes of Curcumin and Curcumin Derivatives for Molecular Imaging and Anticancer Therapy

Pröhl, Michael; Schubert, Ulrich S.; Weigand, Wolfgang; Gottschaldt, Michael

Abstract:

Curcuminoids are highly bioactive, polyphenolic compounds derived from the roots of Curcuma longa. Among them, curcumin is the best known and shows potential against various diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative, autoimmune and infectious diseases combined with nontoxicity up to high dosages and fluorescent properties. Unfortunately, it has some disadvantages, e.g., a poor solubility in water or a rapid clearance, which prevent this natural compound from reaching its potential. There are many strategies to overcome these drawbacks, most notably the application of nanoparticulate, micellar or liposomal carriers. Various metals also have advantageous properties that can be used to mitigate the inherent disadvantages of curcumin, such as higher stability under physiological conditions and ease of detection in vivo. Metal complexes of curcumin and its derivatives broaden the potential applications in comparison to the parent ligand in modern imaging and anticancer strategies. A number of promising derivatives have been published so far. This review focuses on metal complexes of curcumin and its derivatives for imaging and anticancer application.

Research areas:

• Biotechnology

Year:

2016

Type of Publication:

Article

Journal:

Coordination Chemistry Reviews

Volume:

307

Number:

1

Pages:

32 - 41

DOI:

10.1016/j.ccr.2015.09.001