Interaction of curcumin with Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions based on experiment and theoretical calculation

Curcumin and its complexes with Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, solution H-1 and solid-state C-13 NMR spectroscopy, EPR spectroscopy. In addition, the density functional theory (DFT)-based UV and C-13 chemical shift calculations were also performed to view insight into those compound structures and properties. The results show that curcumin easily chelate the metal ions, such as Zn2+ and Cu2+, and the Cu(II)-curcumin complex has an ability to scavenge free-radicals. We demonstrated the differences between Zn(II)-curcumin and Cu(II)-curcumin complexes in structure and properties, enhancing the comprehensions about the curcumin roles in the Alzhermer's disease treatment. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.