Half-Curcuminoids Encapsulated in Alginate–Glucosamine Hydrogel Matrices as Bioactive Delivery Systems
Florentina Monica Raduly,
Valentin Raditoiu,
Alina Raditoiu,
Cristian Andi Nicolae,
Maria Grapin,
Miruna Silvia Stan,
Ionela Cristina Voinea,
Raluca-Ioana Vlasceanu,
Cristina Doina Nitu,
Dan F. Mihailescu,
Speranta Avram,
Maria Mernea
Affiliations
Florentina Monica Raduly
National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Valentin Raditoiu
National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Alina Raditoiu
National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Cristian Andi Nicolae
National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Maria Grapin
National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Miruna Silvia Stan
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Ionela Cristina Voinea
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Raluca-Ioana Vlasceanu
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Cristina Doina Nitu
Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Dan F. Mihailescu
Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Speranta Avram
Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
Maria Mernea
Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95 Splaiul Independentei, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
The therapeutic effects of curcumin and its derivatives, based on research in recent years, are limited by their low bioavailability. To improve bioavailability and develop the medical field of application, different delivery systems have been developed that are adapted to certain environments or the proposed target type. This study presents some half-curcuminoids prepared by the condensation of acetylacetone with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (C1), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (C2), 4-acetamidobenzaldehyde (C3), or 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde (C4), at microwaves as a simple, solvent-free, and eco-friendly method. The four compounds obtained were characterized in terms of morphostructural and photophysical properties. Following the predictions of theoretical studies on the biological activities related to the molecular structure, in vitro tests were performed for compounds C1–C3 to evaluate the antitumor properties and for C4’s possible applications in the treatment of neurological diseases. The four compounds were encapsulated in two types of hydrogel matrices. First, the alginate–glucosamine network was generated and then the curcumin analogs were loaded (G1, G3, G5–G7, and G9). The second type of hydrogels was obtained by loading the active compound together with the generation of the hydrogel carrier matrices, by simply dissolving (G4 and G10) or by chemically binding half-curcuminoid derivatives to glucosamine (G2 and G8). Thus, two types of curcumin analog delivery systems were obtained, which could be applied in various types of medical treatments.