Biotransformation of Curcumin to Calebin-A: A Pharmacologically Important Novel Curcuminoid from Curcuma Species

Abstract

Calebin-A, a novel natural product of turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome has been reported to possess various pharmacological activities. The minimal natural occurrence has been the major constraint for exploiting its pharmacological use. Thus, this study focuses to investigate the production of calebin-A through biotransformation approach using curcumin as the substrate. Four bacterial strains (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus delfa L360, Pseudomonas putida TGPNP13, P.putida NCIMB 10007 and A.johnsonii NCIMB 9871) and three different media compositions (MTSB, modified tryptic soy broth; TSB, tryptic soy broth; NB, nutrient broth) were used to investigate the conversion of curcumin to calebin-A. Biotransformation studies were carried out by supplementing curcumin (50 mg) into media (1000 ml). After 24 h of interval, samples were withdrawn and ethyl acetate extract was obtained as per partition method followed by determination of calebin-A presence using HP-TLC and HPLC techniques. P. putida NCIMB 10007 and A. johnsonii NCIMB 9871 were found to convert curcumin to calebin-A in a time dependent manner with optimum conversion at 48 h and after 96 h respectively. The highest growth of P. putida NCIMB 10007 and A. johnsonii NCIMB 9871 and the production of calebin-A were observed when grown in MTSB media. Baeyer-Villiger monoxygenase enzyme was produced by P. putida NCIMB 10007 (3.30±0.09 U/ml) and A. johnsonii NCIMB 9871 (4.10±0.10 U/ml), suggesting its possible role in the conversion of curcumin to calebin-A. The findings of this study clearly suggested that P. putida NCIMB 10007 and A. johnsonii could be potential candidates for biotechnological production of calebin-A from curcumin.

Keywords

• calebin-a
• biotransformation
• baeyer-villiger monooxygenase
• acinetobacter calcoaceticus
• pseudomonas putida