Curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the rhizome of Curcuma plants, particularly in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), exhibits a broad range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Curcumin has demonstrated effectiveness in inhibiting tumor growth, arousing interest for its potential in treating various cancers, such as breast, lung, prostate, and brain cancers. However, the clinical application of curcumin is limited due to its low chemical stability, poor water solubility, and low bioavailability. In response to these challenges, structural modifications of curcumin have been explored to improve its pharmacological properties, including enhanced anticancer selectivity index and bioavailability. This review highlights promising chemical modifications of curcumin that could lead to the development of more effective anticancer therapies. By functionalizing the parent curcumin molecule, researchers aim to create more stable and bioavailable compounds with enhanced therapeutic potential, making curcumin derivatives promising candidates for medical applications.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequently occurring primary malignant central nervous system tumor, with a poor prognosis and median survival below two years. Administration of a combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and natural compounds that exhibit a curative or prophylactic effect in cancer is a new approach to GBM treatment. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic antitumor activity of etoricoxib (ETO) and cannabidiol (CBD) in a GBM cell line model, and to develop poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based nanoparticles (NPs) for these two substances. Methods: The activity of ETO+CBD was determined using the MTT test, cell-cycle distribution assay, and apoptosis analysis using two GBM cell lines, namely, T98G and U-138 MG. The PLGA-based NPs were developed using the emulsification and solvent evaporation method. Their physicochemical properties, such as shape, size, entrapment efficiency (EE%), in vitro drug release, and quality attributes, were determined using scanning electron microscopy, diffraction light scattering, high-performance liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Results: The combination of ETO and CBD reduced the viability of cells in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis in both tested GBM cell lines. The developed method allowed for the preparation of ETO+CBD-NPs with a spherical shape, mean particle size (MPS) below 400 nm, zeta potential (ZP) values from −11 to −17.4 mV, polydispersity index (PDI) values in the range from 0.029 to 0.256, and sufficient EE% of both drugs (78.43% for CBD, 10.94% for ETO). Conclusions: The combination of ETO and CBD is a promising adjuvant therapeutic in the treatment of GBM, and the prepared ETO+CBD-NPs exhibit a high potential for further pharmaceutical formulation development.

A simple and sensitive extractive spectrophotometric method have been developed and validated for determination of amantadine hydrochloride (AM), memantine hydrochloride (MM) and rimantadine hydrochloride (RM) in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the reaction of these active compounds with bromophenol blue (BB) in acetate buffer (0.1 M) pH 3.5 to form an orange-colored products which have absorption maxima at 408 nm. The procedure of complexation was optimized with regard to such factors as concentrations of BB, pH of medium, a kind of extracting solvents and a number of extractions. Under the optimum conditions, linear relationships A₄₀₈ = f(c) with good correlation coefficients (≥0.996) and low limit of detection were obtained in the ranges of 50.0–220.0 µg·mL⁻¹, 20.0–150.0 µg·mL⁻¹ or 10.0–110.0 µg·mL⁻¹ for AM, MM and RM, respectively, for the spectrophotometric methods. The proposed method could be applied to the determination of AM, MM and RM in dosage forms. The recovery was 95.3–101.9%. The method was linear, precise and accurate.

Background: Intravenous nanoemulsions (NEs) are gaining attention as potential delivery systems for poorly water-soluble substances like cannabidiol (CBD). This study aimed to develop novel NEs based on CBD-enriched hemp oils and evaluate their physiochemical properties. Methods: The stability of hemp oils enriched with various concentrations of CBD (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) with and without the addition of α-tocopherol was determined, and the most stable oils were subsequently incorporated into NEs. In order to determine the CBD content in the obtained CBD-enriched oils and NEs, as well as to conduct stability tests, a new HPLC method was developed and validated. Results: The HPLC method demonstrated very good linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, and robustness, enabling reliable assessment of the quality of newly developed formulations. The formulated NEs were characterized by droplet size of below 200 nm and polydispersity index PDI ≤ 0.14 satisfactory for intravenous application. Conclusion: This research presents a preliminary study on the development of CBD-enriched hemp oil-based NEs that showed promising potential for further investigation. A new HPLC-DAD method was appropriate to register changes in CBD concentration in various matrices, including CBD-hemp oil and intravenous NEs during their preparation and storage. Additionally, the effect of certain emulsifiers used in NE formulations on the course of the chromatographic analysis of CBD was examined, providing valuable insights concerning the application of the provided methodology in future formulation analysis.

Hepatocellular damage by the harmful effects of xenobiotics, which increase the production of free radicals, is a widespread phenomenon. The extract from the leaves of Cynara scolymus L. available as an artichoke preparation (natural source) of antioxidants may serve as a potential hepatoprotective factor. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the protective and regenerative properties of artichoke preparation on the liver in three extract doses: 0.5; 1.0; and 1.5 g/kg bw/day. The evaluation was conducted by measuring the levels of oxidative stress parameters, including glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferases (GST), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), paraoxonase 1 (PON1), SH- group, nitrosylated protein (RSNO), as well as such liver enzymes as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the plasma and liver homogenate of rats with liver damage induced by CCl₄ (1 mL/kg bw). Measurements were taken in plasma and liver homogenate. The results have demonstrated that the artichoke preparation, owing to its high antioxidative potential, exhibits protective and regenerative effects on the liver. This is supported by the observation of higher GSH levels in the plasma of rats treated with artichoke extract for two weeks before CCl₄ exposure. Furthermore, the artichoke extract has shown regenerative properties, as evidenced by lower ALT, AST, and SOD activity in the group treated with artichoke extract after CCl₄ exposure. These findings suggest that the in vivo administration of artichoke preparation may be beneficial for the protection and regeneration of the liver.