Synthesis of a novel theranostic molecule for targeted cancer intervention. A reaction between curcumin and lawsone was carried out to yield the novel curcumin naphthoquinone (CurNQ) molecule (2,2'-((((1E,3Z,6E)-3-hydroxy-5-oxohepta-1,3,6-triene-1,7-diyl) bis(2-methoxy-4,1-phenylene))bis(oxy))bis(naphthalene-1,4-dione). CurNQ's structure was elucidated and was fully characterized. CurNQ was demonstrated to have pH specific solubility, its saturation solubility increased from 11.15 µM at pH 7.4 to 20.7 µM at pH 6.8. This pH responsivity allows for cancer targeting (Warburg effect). Moreover, CurNQ displayed intrinsic fluorescence, thus enabling imaging and detection applications. In vitro cytotoxicity assays demonstrated the chemotherapeutic properties of CurNQ as CurNQ reduced cell viability to below 50% in OVCAR-5 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell lines. CurNQ is a novel theranostic molecule for potential targeted cancer detection and treatment.
Keywords: curcumin; fluorescence; high content imaging; lawsone; pH responsivity; theranostics.