Turmeric-derived mesoporous carbon as a bioactive material: In vitro anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Breast cancer, diabetes, and chronic inflammation pose significant global health challenges.
• Development of effective, multi-functional biomaterials is crucial for addressing these diseases.
• Curcuma longa (turmeric) possesses known medicinal properties but requires advanced material formulation for enhanced efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a Curcuma longa-based mesoporous carbon material (CCL) for potential biomedical applications.
• To evaluate the antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of the synthesized CCL.
• To compare the efficacy of the developed CCL with existing turmeric-derived materials.

Main Methods:

• NaOH-assisted chemical activation was employed for the synthesis of the mesoporous carbon material from Curcuma longa.
• Physicochemical properties including pore size, surface area, and thermal stability were analyzed.
• In vitro assays were conducted to assess antioxidant (DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging), antidiabetic (α-amylase, α-glucosidase inhibition), anti-inflammatory (protein denaturation), and anticancer (MDA-MB-231 cell line) activities.

Main Results:

• The synthesized CCL exhibited a mesoporous structure with an average pore size of 3.80 nm, a surface area of 1394.5 m²/g, and thermal stability up to 800 °C.
• CCL demonstrated significant antioxidant activity (IC₅₀: 76.25 ± 2.13 μg/mL for DPPH, 68.58 ± 2.12 μg/mL for superoxide radicals).
• The material showed notable antidiabetic effects (IC₅₀: 89.86 ± 3.25 μg/mL for α-amylase, 98.65 ± 1.97 μg/mL for α-glucosidase), strong anti-inflammatory capacity (IC₅₀: 72.49 ± 0.62 μg/mL), and potent anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 cells (IC₅₀: 24.97 μg/mL) with induced apoptosis.

Conclusions:

• The developed Curcuma longa-based mesoporous carbon material (CCL) possesses excellent physicochemical properties and significant multi-bioactivity.
• CCL exhibits superior anticancer efficacy compared to previously reported turmeric-derived materials, alongside promising antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects.
• This synthesized biomaterial holds substantial potential for further investigation in in-vitro and in-vivo studies for therapeutic applications.