Overcoming curcumin's limitations: synthetic derivatives in diabetes and cancer management

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and cancer, are chronic medical conditions characterised by their persistent nature and gradual progression. They pose a significant challenge to global public health due to their widespread impact and increasing prevalence worldwide. According to the 2021 International Diabetes Federation atlas reports, 10.5% of adults worldwide currently live with diabetes, a figure projected to reach 783 million by 2045. Furthermore, cancer is one of the world's top causes of death, as reported by the WHO. Although synthetic drugs are widely used to manage these diseases, they often come with adverse side effects such as suppression of blood cell production, inflammation of mucous membranes, hair loss, and nausea. Curcumin, an active compound found in turmeric, has attracted interest due to its therapeutic potential in treating both diabetes and cancer, largely owing to its favourable safety profile, as evidenced by preclinical and clinical data. Nevertheless, poor bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and low stability in living systems have limited its clinical application. To address these limitations, recent research has focused on developing synthetic curcumin derivatives with improved pharmacokinetic properties. This review examines the antidiabetic and anticancer potentials of these derivatives, emphasising research data from both in vivo and in vitro studies. The paper also highlights how structural modifications significantly enhance their biological activity and provides a comparative mechanistic discussion linking diabetes and cancer at the molecular level, and translational gaps that define future research directions. This dual perspective in mechanisms distinguishes the present review from earlier works that examined curcumin's therapeutic potential in isolation within diabetes or cancer frameworks.