Issue 46, 2022

Transition metallo-curcumin complexes: a new hope for endometriosis?

Abstract

Endometriosis is a debilitating gynecological disorder in women of reproductive age. Laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure, provides a definitive diagnosis of the disease. Current treatments, including hormonal therapy and pain medication, are often associated with undesirable side effects limiting their long-term usage. This calls for exploring newer diagnostic and therapeutic options with minimal side effects. Curcumin is an established anti-endometriotic agent with inherent fluorescent properties; however, poor bioavailability limits its clinical utility. To address this shortcoming, various transition metals were conjugated with curcumin to improve its stability, specificity and pharmacological properties. The chemical stability, hemocompatibility and ability of the synthesized metallo-curcumin complexes (MCCs) to ameliorate endometriotic lesions were investigated. While all of the MCCs exhibited low hemolytic activity, their chemical and biological activities were largely dependent on the nature of the metal ion conjugated to the curcumin molecule. Copper–curcumin and nickel–curcumin complexes demonstrated superior therapeutic efficacy evidenced by enhanced antioxidant activity, selective cytotoxicity and increased accumulation in endometriotic cells mediated by an energy-dependent active transport process.

Graphical abstract: Transition metallo-curcumin complexes: a new hope for endometriosis?

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 8 2022
Accepted
01 11 2022
First published
16 11 2022

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022,10, 9682-9698

Transition metallo-curcumin complexes: a new hope for endometriosis?

A. Singh, P. Ghosh, S. Mukherjee, A. K. Ojha, A. Hansda, P. Choudhury, S. Halder, S. Sharma, G. Mukherjee, S. Dasgupta and K. Chaudhury, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022, 10, 9682 DOI: 10.1039/D2TB01651F

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