Abstract

TORRES RODRIGUEZ, Eugenio et al. Use of ultrasound in the extraction of curcumin from its natural source. Rev Cubana Plant Med [online]. 2014, vol.19, n.1, pp. 14-20. ISSN 1028-4796.

Introduction: cultivation of Curcuma longa L. in Cuba started in the 1990s. This plant has been attributed anticancer, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, among others. Its main active principle is curcumin, a yellow pigment from which various derivatives of great pharmacological interest may be obtained. Objective: demonstrate the feasibility of the use of curcumin extracted from its natural source as a drug precursor. Methods: Curcuma longa L. rhizomes were previously treated. Once dry, they were pulverized, and extraction was carried out with methanol in an ultrasonic bath. The desired product (curcumin) was purified by column chromatography to be used later on as the starting material to obtain a semisynthetic analogue. The isolated and synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods. Results: curcumin of a high degree of purity could be isolated from Curcuma longa L. cultivated in Cuba by means of a novel ultrasound-assisted extraction method. A new compound of great pharmacological interest was obtained and characterized, starting from curcumin obtained from national raw materials. Conclusions: ultrasound improves the efficiency of curcumin extraction from its natural source. Curcuma longa L. may constitute a source of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry.

Keywords : Curcuma longa L.; extraction; ultrasound; semisynthesis.

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