Curcumin analogues and derivatives with anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity: Structural characteristics and molecular targets

Introduction: Curcumin (Diferuloylmethane) is a natural phenolic compound, which belongs to the curcuminoid family, presenting pleiotropic activity and low bioavailability. A lot of recent research is focused on the design and synthesis of curcumin analogs as antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory agents improving the bioavailability and target selectivity. Their structural characteristics and functional groups seem to define the extent of the biological activity.Areas covered: Publications (2008-2018), describing curcumin analogs and curcumin derivatives are analyzed. Structural characteristics, functional groups, modelling studies, structure activity relationships, biological evaluation in vitro/in vivo as antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory agents are included. Furthermore, a wide range of biological results derived from different targets are also summarized.Expert opinion: Several curcumin analogs and derivatives appear to have a high biological impact as well as promising antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Their clinical evaluation will be critical to assess therapeutic utility. Compounds for which the mechanism of action is well defined can serve as lead compounds for the design of new more potent molecules.