LONG ACTING CONSERVED NATURAL FUNCTIONAL GROUPS CURCUMIN

摘要

Curcumin is a component of turmeric, a yellow spice from the rhizome of the herb Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), that is widely used as a food flavoring and coloring agent. Curcumin has a long history of medicinal use for a wide variety of medical conditions. It is insoluble in water but soluble in ethanol, alkalis, glacial acetic acid and chloroform. Oral administration is well tolerated, but bioavailability is very low. Long acting, conserved natural functional group curcumin, of free water solubility, easy digestibility, free intestinal absorption, long serum half-life should help getting the utmost possible beneficial effects of this historical, albeit promising treatment of several acute and chronic illnesses. Natural pure water insoluble curcumin has been converted to a novel, water soluble conserved natural functional group derivatives, with no change to its original active functional natural molecular chemical groups necessary for full biochemical, physiological and pharmacological potencies previously reported for natural curcumin. The novel curcumin derivatives were characterized by IR Spectroscopy, GC/MS, NMR, EM, TLC, Gel Filtration, Continuous Flow Electrophoresis and Isoelectric Focusing whenever applicable. Laboratory animal studies of the novel curcumin derivatives proved that they conserved all the natural curcumin functionality in addition to the novel free water solubility, easy digestibility, free intestinal absorption, long serum half-life besides improved original biochemical, physiological and pharmacological potencies of natural curcumin towards certain pre-studied effects in humans and experimental animal models e.g. erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus.