title: Design and development of water-soluble curcumin conjugates as potential anticancer agents.
abstract: Conjugates of curcumin to two differently sized poly(ethylene glycol) molecules were synthesized in an attempt to overcome the low aqueous solubility of this natural product with cytotoxic activity against some human cancer cell lines. The soluble conjugates exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity as compared to that of the parent drug. Synthesis, analyses of the rate of drug release, and cytotoxicity studies are herein reported. The water-soluble conjugates may provide information useful for the development of injectable curcumin conjugates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1824 6th Avenue S., Birmingham, AL 35294-6832, USA. safavy@uab.edu
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Safavy
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Raisch
authors.forename: Sushma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mantena
authors.forename: Leisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Sanford
authors.forename: Simon W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Sham
authors.forename: N Rama
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Krishna
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bonner
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003474:Curcumin / Q000737:chemistry*; D015195:Drug Design; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014867:Water; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D003474:Curcumin