Biotransformation of curcumin for improved biological activity and antiproliferative activity on acute HT-29 human cell lines

Curcumin (1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-l,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) is a natural hydrophobic polyphenol compound isolated from rhizomes of the herb Curcuma longa Linn. It has diverse pharmacological properties including antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities. However, use of curcumin is limited due to its poor aqueous solubility resulting in reduced concentration of active molecule at target site and low systemic bioavailability. In the present study, conjugated glycosyl-curcumin was synthesized in good yield by biocatalytic method using beta -glucosidase enzyme obtained from almonds and found to be enantioselective. The glucosilated curcumin product showed promising pharmacokinetic and biological (antioxidant, antimicrobial & antiproliferative) properties.