Curcumin Derivatives with Potential Biological Activity

Curcumin 9a, extracted from Curcuma Longa, is a strong antioxidant that offers a good protection against injuries caused by free radicals [1-3], more active than vitamin E. Curcumin possesses also a good antibacterial and antiseptic, strong antiinflammatory, intestinal disinfectant properties, being also a good stimulant for the blood circulation. [4, 5]. The paper presents the synthesis of a series of new curcumin analogues, obtained by the replacement of vanillin with various substituted aromatic aldehydes (scheme 1 and 2). One of the compounds 14 is not cited in the literature data and shows high water solubility. The biological activity of some of the synthesized compounds was tested.