# Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Curvularin-Type Derivatives with Potential Anti-Inflammatory, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Activities

## TL;DR

Researchers modified a natural compound called curvularin to create new derivatives with anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties.

## Contribution

The study introduces structurally modified curvularin analogues with improved biological activities and identifies key structural features for efficacy.

## Key findings

- Modified curvularin derivatives inhibited nitric oxide production in macrophages but showed cytotoxicity at high concentrations.
- Compound 23 demonstrated superior antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and antifungal activity against Candida albicans.
- The compounds showed limited selectivity toward cancer cells and potential as antimicrobial lead compounds.

## Abstract

Curvularins, a class of macrocyclic lactones, have cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Curvularin, a 12-membered macrolactone, was used as a scaffold to design and synthesize structurally modified analogues to investigate structure–activity relationships and improve biological efficacy. Three series of curvularin-based analogues, Cur-5H-OMe, Cur-4P-OMe, and Cur-OMe, were synthesized with the same core structure but different substituent sizes and positions. Nine representative derivatives were evaluated for anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. In LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, most compounds inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a concentration-dependent manner but exhibited cytotoxicity at high concentrations. Cytotoxicity assays against HaCaT cells and human cancer cell lines (HCT116, HeLa, and A375) revealed limited selectivity toward cancer cells. Antimicrobial evaluation indicated selective activity against the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. Compound 23 exhibited superior antibacterial potency compared with kanamycin and notable antifungal activity against Candida albicans. This study provides a versatile synthetic platform and identifies key structural features of curvularin derivatives, demonstrating their potential as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial lead compounds.