Curcuma longa has gained popularity due to its antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. Various extraction methods can significantly affect the biological properties of curcuminoids. This study explored the impact of three distinct extraction methods, maceration (Mac), Soxhlet (Sox), and ultrasound-assisted (US) extraction, on the total amount of curcuminoids obtained, and correlated to their biological activities through cytotoxicity assays in normal (HaCaT) and cancer (SH-SY5Y) cultured cells, and in vitro antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS assays) and anti-diabetic activities evaluations. HPLC-DAD data revealed the presence of three main curcuminoids in all extracts: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The total curcuminoid (TC) amounts from Mac, Sox, and US were approximately 128.20, 87.50, and 24.92 mg/g of dried extract, respectively. Among the extracts, Sox extract exhibited the highest DPPH-scavenging ability, anti-α-glucosidase, and anti-α-amylase activities with IC50 values of 300, 21.5, and 505 µg/mL, respectively, while Mac and US extracts exhibited lower activity. The order of potency in the ABTS assay was Mac (IC50 = 55 µg/mL) > Sox> US. MTT assays revealed cytotoxic effects of Mac, Sox and US extracts after 24 h of incubation on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells (the order of potency was Mac > Sox> US with IC50 values of 46.6, 67.5 and 415 µg/mL, respectively), while all curcuminoid extracts demonstrated lower effects on the viability/morphology of HaCaT keratinocytes (the order of cytocompatibility was US > Sox> Mac). US extract shows as a biocompatible extract up to 500 µg/mL, supporting further investigation into transdermal delivery performance. Moreover, the high pro-apoptotic effect of Mac in neuroblastoma cells (NucView 488 assay) confirmed the role of apoptosis in the anticancer activity of curcuminoid extracts. This work demonstrated the potential effects of Sox, Mac, and US for application in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.
Influence of the extraction method of curcuminoids on the antidiabetic and antioxidant properties and cytotoxicity in normal and cancer cells
Piras, Franca;Rosa, Antonella;Sogos, Valeria;
2026-01-01
Abstract
Curcuma longa has gained popularity due to its antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. Various extraction methods can significantly affect the biological properties of curcuminoids. This study explored the impact of three distinct extraction methods, maceration (Mac), Soxhlet (Sox), and ultrasound-assisted (US) extraction, on the total amount of curcuminoids obtained, and correlated to their biological activities through cytotoxicity assays in normal (HaCaT) and cancer (SH-SY5Y) cultured cells, and in vitro antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS assays) and anti-diabetic activities evaluations. HPLC-DAD data revealed the presence of three main curcuminoids in all extracts: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The total curcuminoid (TC) amounts from Mac, Sox, and US were approximately 128.20, 87.50, and 24.92 mg/g of dried extract, respectively. Among the extracts, Sox extract exhibited the highest DPPH-scavenging ability, anti-α-glucosidase, and anti-α-amylase activities with IC50 values of 300, 21.5, and 505 µg/mL, respectively, while Mac and US extracts exhibited lower activity. The order of potency in the ABTS assay was Mac (IC50 = 55 µg/mL) > Sox> US. MTT assays revealed cytotoxic effects of Mac, Sox and US extracts after 24 h of incubation on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells (the order of potency was Mac > Sox> US with IC50 values of 46.6, 67.5 and 415 µg/mL, respectively), while all curcuminoid extracts demonstrated lower effects on the viability/morphology of HaCaT keratinocytes (the order of cytocompatibility was US > Sox> Mac). US extract shows as a biocompatible extract up to 500 µg/mL, supporting further investigation into transdermal delivery performance. Moreover, the high pro-apoptotic effect of Mac in neuroblastoma cells (NucView 488 assay) confirmed the role of apoptosis in the anticancer activity of curcuminoid extracts. This work demonstrated the potential effects of Sox, Mac, and US for application in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.
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