title: Curcumin: Not So Spicy After All.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This is a short review on the most recent studies on curcumin and its analogs, including the studies from the laboratories of authors. The diverse medicinal properties of curcumin itself reported in the recent years are reviewed. Although curcumin has shown great potential in treating various diseases, it has not been approved as a clinical drug candidate because of its poor pharmacokinetics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The recent methods developed to solve this problem are briefly described.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The biological and other properties of synthetic curcumin analogs (diarylheptanoids and diarylpentanoid monocarbonyl derivatives) reported in the recent literature are also presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6. Canada.
authors.forename: Amitabh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6. Canada.
authors.forename: Prabhu P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mohapatra
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6. Canada.
authors.forename: Salma A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: AlHarbi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6. Canada.
authors.forename: Nusrat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jahan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Anticancer; Michael acceptor; antioxidant; curcumin; curcumin analogs; diarylheptanoids; diarylpentanoids; formulations; mechanism
  of action; pharmacokinetics; topoisomerase IIα inhibitors.