Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Many lipoxygenase inhibitors including curcumin are currently being studied for their anti-carcinogenic properties. Curcumin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytochemical isolated from the powdered rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa that possesses anti-inflammatory properties and inhibits cancer formation in mice. Recently it was shown that the soybean lipoxygenase L1 catalyzed the oxygenation of curcumin and that curcumin can act as a lipoxygenase substrate. In the current study, we investigate the fate of curcumin when used as a soybean lipoxygenase L3 substrate. By use of X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry, we have found an unoccupied electron mass that appears to be a unusual degradation product of curcumin (4-hydroxyperoxy-2methoxyphenol) located near the soybean L3 catalytic site. Understanding how curcumin inhibits lipoxygenase may help in the development of novel anti-cancer drugs used for treatment where lipoxygenases are involved.
Author: Noel Patrick McCabe
Institution: University of Toledo
Language: English
Subfield: Inorganic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2200580410