Curcumin Derivatives and Curcuminoids with Potential Biomedical Applications
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organic synthesis; luminescent probes; carbohydrates; bodipy; curcumin
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: organic synthesis; luminescent probes; spectroscopic characterization; porphyrin; aggregation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Curcumin (Cur) is a natural luminescent polyphenolic compound extracted from Curcuma longa L. It is used in traditional medicines and is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. It has also been extensively studied for its antitumor effects and applied to various cancer types, including triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive malignant neoplasms that does not respond to conventional hormonal therapy.
Cur is a lipophilic molecule, and its poor water solubility (10−1 μg/mL) greatly limits its bioavailability (~50 nM) in serum and affects its photophysical properties in water. Although pharmacologically safe at doses of up to 8 g/day, Cur requires high dosing to exert its therapeutic potential, which may cause tolerance-related side effects. For this reason, research over the years has focused on developing hydrophilic Cur derivatives or nanotechnologies capable of overcoming the critical limitations of this polyphenolic compound and enhancing its multivalent biological, chemical, and photochemical properties and/or enabling targeted biomedical delivery.
Given the extensive scientific literature on the biological applications of Cur, this Special invites authors to contribute their work on the synthesis of Cur derivatives and curcuminoids for biomedical applications, including bioimaging. Relevant themes include supramolecular self-assembly using building blocks that generate materials such as hydrogels, nanoparticles, microparticles (including liposomes or micelles), hollow capsules, and coating films designed to overcome Cur’s solubility limitations. Applications may encompass drug delivery, cancer diagnosis and treatment, treatment of certain diseases, gene delivery, drug/gene co-delivery, bioimaging, and photodynamic therapy (PDT), all of which highlight Cur’s substantial potential in medical and healthcare contexts. A comprehensive overview of past and current research will be valuable for advancing developments in this field.
Reviews, perspectives, and original research articles are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Paola Bonaccorsi
Dr. Chiara Maria Antonietta Gangemi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- curcumin
- curcuminoids
- synthesis
- biomedicine
- bioimaging
- supramolecular
- sensors
- photodynamic therapy
- antitumor properties
- antiviral properties
- antibacterial properties
- antioxidant properties
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