Basrah - College of Pharmacy Media:

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Basrah organized a seminar titled "Evaluating the Efficacy of Curcumin Compared to its Isosteres within the Transthyretin Protein using Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics," in a lecture presented by Dr. Rita Sabah Elias.

The seminar included defining Curcumin as the active compound to which the efficacy of turmeric is attributed. Curcumin possesses broad activity against various types of diseases, including maintaining cardiovascular, immune, and nervous system health. It also acts as an anti-cancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal agent, in addition to its ability to reduce blood cholesterol and sugar levels.

The seminar explained that despite the broad biological activity of curcumin, its therapeutic efficacy is limited due to poor absorption through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), rapid elimination from the body, and its instability in basic and neutral environments.

The seminar aimed to highlight the continuous attempts to alter the solubility, stability, and efficacy of curcumin, where practical efforts require the preparation of its derivatives and isosteres, and then measuring their efficacy practically to deduce the effect of altering the chemical structure and substituents on the compound's activity.

❧ ☙