The Chemistry of Curcumin: From Extraction to
Therapeutic Agent
Abstract: Curcumin, a pigment from turmeric, is one of the very few promising natural
products that has been extensively investigated by researchers from both the biological and
chemical point of view. While there are several reviews on the biological and
pharmacological effects of curcumin, chemistry reviews are comparatively scarcer. In this
article, an overview of different aspects of the unique chemistry research on curcumin will
be discussed. These include methods for the extraction from turmeric, laboratory synthesis
methods, chemical and photochemical degradation and the chemistry behind its metabolism.
Additionally other chemical reactions that have biological relevance like nucleophilic
addition reactions, and metal chelation will be discussed. Recent advances in the preparation
of new curcumin nanoconjugates with metal and metal oxide nanoparticles will also be
mentioned. Directions for future investigations to be undertaken in the chemistry of
curcumin have also been suggested.