Curcumin and curcumin-like molecules: from spice to drugs.

Curcumin is the major yellow pigment extracted from turmeric, a commonly used spice in Asian cuisine and extensively employed in ayurvedic herbal remedies. A number of studies have shown that curcumin can be a prevention and a chemotherapeutic agent for colon, skin, oral and intestinal cancers. Curcumin is also well known for its antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties, showing high reactivity towards peroxyl radicals, and thus acting as a free radical scavenger. Recently, experimental studies have demonstrated that curcumin might be used in the prevention and the cure of Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, curcumin injected peripherally in vivo into aged Tg mice crossed the blood-brain barrier and bound to amyloid plaques, reducing amyloid levels and plaque formation decisively. The present review will resume the most recent developments in the medicinal chemistry of curcumin and curcumin-like molecules.

(99m)Tc-radiolabelled peptides for tumour imaging: present and future.

Receptor-binding peptides have attracted an enormous interest in targeting molecules for the development of tumour specific radiopharmaceutical compounds. The overexpression of many receptors on human tumour makes such peptide-ligands attractive agents for diagnostic imaging and therapy of cancers. The use of solid-phase peptide synthesis and the availability of a wide range of bifunctional chelating agents for the radiolabelling of bioactive peptides with radionuclides have produced a wide variety of useful radiopharmaceutical molecules. For diagnostic purposes, techenetium - 99m is the ideal radionuclide thanks to its nuclear properties and the availability of a low cost portable generator system.