Curcumin and its derivatives: Moderate inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and trypsin

Curcumin, a polyphenol yellow orange pigment present in Indian spice “turmeric”, is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The extract of turmeric was obtained by using soxhlet apparatus at 45–55 °C, using methanol as solvent and then curcumin was isolated from methanolic extract by column chromatography. In the present study, a series of four new derivatives of curcumin (3a–d) were synthesized by reacting curcumin (1) with different alkyl halides (2a–d) using DMF and lithium hydride. The structures of natural curcumin and its synthetic derivatives were confirmed with the help of their 1H-NMR spectra and all these were screened against acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, lipoxygenase and trypsin enzymes. Curcumin and its derivatives exhibited moderate inhibitory potential against all aforesaid enzymes.