Clicked Sugar-Curcumin Conjugate: Modulator of Amyloid-β and Tau Peptide Aggregation at Ultralow Concentrations

The synthesis of a water/plasma soluble, noncytotoxic, clicked sugar-derivative of curcumin with amplified bioefficacy in modulating amyloid-beta and tau peptide aggregation is presented. Curcumin inhibits amyloid-beta and tau peptide aggregation at micromolar concentrations; the sugar curcumin conjugate inhibits A beta and tau peptide aggregation at concentrations as low as 8 nM and 0.1 n.M, respectively. In comparison to curcumin, this conveniently synthesized Alzheimer's drug candidate is a more powerful antioxidant.