The Synthesis of Curcumin Analogues and Their Photodynamic Applications

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy adapts a specific wavelength of light to excite the photosensitizer in order to release reactive oxygen and inhibit microorganisms. Curcumin is a natural antibacterial agent and a potent photosensitizer from the plant. However, curcumin’s low water solubility and light instability need further improvements. The project aims to functionalize curcumin using different carboxyl acid and amine to develop curcumin analogues as photosensitizers. The structure of functionalized curcumin analogues and the photodynamic antimicrobial activity associated with the functional groups is studied in order to illustrate the photodynamic mechanism. The synthesized curcumin analogues have the potential to enhance the solubility, light stability and inhibit bacteria effect. The characteristic absorption spectra and fluorescence spectroscopy and analogue purity will be confirmed by spectrophotometry and liquid chromatography. Also FT-IR, elemental analysis and NMR will used to identify the analogue structure. The in vitro antibacterial skin test will be done to evaluate their bactericide function. The skin will be analyzed by using multi -photon confocal fluorescence microscopy to quantify curcumin analogues in sweat glands, hair follicles, and epiderm layer. This research will help us develop the clinical photosensitizer from curcumin.

Project ID:PB10308-2722
External Project ID:MOST103-2221-E182-010