title: Curcumin in plasma and urine: quantitation by high-performance liquid chromatography.
abstract: Curcumin, a derivative of the plant Curcuma longa, is used extensively in the food industry. It is a major component of curry powder, and research has shown that curcumin may prevent cancer and other chronic diseases. We have developed a robust automated analytical method for the determination of curcumin in plasma and urine. The method involves extracting the curcumin from 0.2 ml sample volume with ethyl acetate/methanol organic solvents, and use of an internal standard, beta-17-estradiol acetate. Analysis utilizes a reversed-phase C(18) column and UV detection at 262 nm. Performance characteristics have been assessed. The assay is linear from 0.2 to 7.0 microgram/ml. The coefficient of variation for intra- and inter-day assays is <7.5%. The average recovery of curcumin from plasma and urine is greater than 96%. The data presented in this report demonstrate that the method provides rapid, sensitive, precise and accurate measurements of curcumin concentrations in plasma and urine.
authors.affiliation: UCSD Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0901, San Diego, 92093-0901, La Jolla, CA, USA. dheath@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Dennis D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: Milagros A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pruitt
authors.forename: Dean E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rock
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D003474:Curcumin