Reactivity of Curcumin: Theoretical Insight from a Systematic Density Functional Theory-Based Review.

Area of Science:

• Computational chemistry
• Theoretical chemistry
• Molecular modeling

Background:

• Existing density functional theory (DFT) data on curcumin's reactivity is incomplete.
• A deeper computational understanding is needed for curcumin's chemical and biological applications.
• Curcumin's antioxidant properties are of significant interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive computational analysis of curcumin's reactivity.
• To determine thermodynamic descriptors and anti-radical mechanisms for various curcumin forms.
• To investigate the influence of solvent environments and structural modifications on curcumin's properties.

Main Methods:

• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed.
• Thermodynamic descriptors and reaction mechanisms were determined.
• Global chemical reactivity descriptors were calculated for different solvent polarities and keto-enol tautomers.

Main Results:

• A complete set of thermodynamic descriptors and anti-radical mechanisms for neutral, radical, anionic, and radical-anionic curcumin were elucidated.
• Global chemical reactivity descriptors were calculated across various solvent environments.
• A novel di-curcumin structure was modeled, showing enhanced chemical reactivity and anti-radical potential.

Conclusions:

• The study provides enhanced insights into curcumin's molecular behavior and reactivity.
• Theoretical reproduction of experimental pKa values was achieved.
• The findings facilitate improved predictions of curcumin's behavior under diverse conditions and suggest potential for modified curcumin derivatives.