{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T14:08:58Z","timestamp":1787062138883,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,30]],"date-time":"2025-11-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764460800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NAWA Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange","award":["PPI\/STE\/2020\/1\/00014\/DEC\/02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PPI\/STE\/2020\/1\/00014\/DEC\/02"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100018227","name":"National Research Foundation of Ukraine","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2023.03\/0104"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023.03\/0104"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100018227","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004281","name":"National Science Center of Poland","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2019\/35\/B\/NZ7\/01165"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2019\/35\/B\/NZ7\/01165"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004281","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Curcumin has long been used for health purposes and is currently attracting significant research interest. In this study, we present a series of curcumin derivatives featuring structural modifications, including methoxy groups, short alcohol chains, and bromine atoms. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds obtained was tested against BA\/F3 wt, BA\/F3 del52, BA\/F3 ins5, K562, Jurkat, HCT-116, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines and non-cancerous Balb\/3T3 fibroblast lines. The most promising compounds 2a, 6a, and 9a demonstrated anticancer activity comparable to that of doxorubicin, while exhibiting toxicity toward fibroblasts similar to natural curcumin. In addition, thanks to microscopic fluorescence analysis, a mechanism of action was proposed for the most active compounds against the HCT-116 cell line. Some compounds exhibit moderate or strong proapoptotic activity, while others are characterized by cytostatic activity. Studied compounds demonstrated the DNA-intercalation ability and increased the content of cellular ROS in treated HCT-116 cells.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules30234609","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,3]],"date-time":"2025-12-03T16:47:37Z","timestamp":1764780457000},"page":"4609","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Promising Anticancer Activity of Novel Hydroxyethyloxy and Bromo derivatives of Curcumin and Its Complexes with BF2"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5248-1091","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduard","family":"Potapskyi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"},{"name":"Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Bukowska Street 70, 60-812 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9832-5094","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dawid","family":"Lazewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julian","family":"Myszkiewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6037-5056","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela","family":"Korza\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8514-5238","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna","family":"Kuzminska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1117-3081","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"Popenda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wszechnicy Piastowskiej Street 3, 61-614 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6207-6914","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Artur","family":"Korza\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego Street 8, 61-614 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9722-4769","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Zgo\u0142a-Grze\u015bkowiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry and Technical Electrochemistry, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo Street 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-4362-2915","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Gielara-Korza\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2299-8353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karolina","family":"Chmaj-Wierzchowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maternal and Child Health, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-701 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4112-8815","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nataliya","family":"Finiuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis, Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Drahomanov Street 14\/16, 79005 Lviv, Ukraine"},{"name":"Molecular Design Center, State Non-Commercial Enterprise, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Pekarska Street 69, 79010 Lviv, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6793-0662","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yuliia","family":"Kozak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis, Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Drahomanov Street 14\/16, 79005 Lviv, Ukraine"},{"name":"Molecular Design Center, State Non-Commercial Enterprise, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Pekarska Street 69, 79010 Lviv, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2789-0763","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iryna","family":"Ivasechko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis, Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Drahomanov Street 14\/16, 79005 Lviv, Ukraine"},{"name":"Molecular Design 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National Medical University, Pekarska Street 69, 79010 Lviv, Ukraine"},{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Medical College, University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, Sucharskiego 2, 35-225 Rzeszow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2619-0466","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcin","family":"Wierzchowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Street 3, 60-806 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kuzminska, J., Szyk, P., Mlynarczyk, D.T., Bakun, P., Muszalska-Kolos, I., Dettlaff, K., Sobczak, A., Goslinski, T., and Jelinska, A. 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