Investigation of antibacterial effects of novel curcumin derivatives with natural alcohol extensions

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In this study, the antibacterial properties of newly synthesized curcumin derivatives with natural alcohol extensions were investigated. These derivatives were evaluated against standard bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterocoocus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii). The microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these compounds. The aim of the study is to provide valuable insights into the potential use of these curcumin derivatives as antimicrobial agents. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The tested standard strains (S. aureus, E. faecalis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii) were obtained from culture collections of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital Medical Microbiology Laboratory. Chemical agents (curcumin derivatives with natural alcohol extensions) were obtained from Sakarya University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry. Effect of the prepared ten curcumin compounds were investigated by microdilution method. RESULTS: In this study of curcumin variants against bacterial strains, CUR 3-3 demonstrated the lowest MIC value (3,750 µg/mL) against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and E. faecalis). However, efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria was generally lower, with most variants showing MIC values exceeding 15,000 µg/mL. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Research on curcumin variants examined in our thesis revealed that, in particular, the CUR 3-3 variant against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and E. faecalis) has lower MIC values and a stronger effect compared to others. These comparisons offer a more comprehensive perspective by comparing the general trends and findings in the literature with the results of our thesis. Keywords: Antibiotic, Antibiotic Susceptibility Tests, Curcumin Derivatives With Natural Alcohol Extensions, MIC, Standard Bacterial Strains