Updates on the promising anticancer activity of CDF, a synthetic curcumin analogue

Abstract

In the last few decades we have witnessed an increased interest in nutraceuticals research for their putative use as anticancer therapeutics. A major drawback of nutraceuticals is their poor bioavailability. A few years back we synthesized a difluorinated analogue of curcumin, named CDF, which showed promise during our initial studies by being more bioavailable. This prompted us to investigate the anticancer mechanism(s) of this promising compound in detail, with the ultimate goal of taking this compound to the clinical setting. In this expert opinion, we provide a succinct overview of all the biological effects of CDF that we have discovered in the last few years. These include the ability of CDF to regulate epigenetic factors, miRNAs, and the cancer stem cell markers. Development and characterization of CDF is a good example of how natural chemical structures can be modified for better efficacy and activity against cancer cells, although such agents require further development for clinical studies.