A Novel Fluorescence-Labeled Curcumin Conjugate: Synthesis, Evaluation and Imaging on Human Cell Lines.

Curcumin, as the main ingredient of the curcuma spice, has increasingly become the target of scientific research. The turmeric root where the spice is obtained from has been widely used in the traditional medicine. Moreover, scientific studies have found that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-angiogenic effects as well as antibacterial properties. Recently, curcumin has gathered interest as a potential therapeutic agent in the research on Alzheimer's disease. A consistent problem in the investigative and therapeutic applications of curcumin is its poor solubility in aqueous solutions. In the present study, we synthesized a conjugate of curcumin, the amino acid lysine and the fluorescent dye fluorescein. This conjugate was soluble in cell culture medium and facilitated the examination of curcumin with fluorescence imaging methods. We studied the cell growth impact of unmodified curcumin on seven different human cell lines and then analyzed the uptake and cellular localization of our curcumin conjugate with confocal laser scanning imaging and flow cytometry on the seven cell lines. We found that unbound curcumin inhibited cell growth in vitro and was not taken up into the cells. The curcumin conjugate was internalized into the cell cytoplasm in a dot-like pattern and cellular uptake correlated with the cell membrane damage which was measured using propidium iodide. The CAL-72 osteosarcoma cell exhibited 3-4fold increased conjugate uptake and a strong uniform fluorescein staining in addition to the dot-like pattern observed in all cell lines. In conclusion, we successfully synthesized a novel water-soluble fluorescent curcumin conjugate which showed a strong preference for CAL-72 osteosarcoma cells in vitro.

Quality of life outcomes after radical cystectomy: long-term standardized assessment of Studer Pouch versus I-Pouch.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the ileal length used for the formation of two different orthotopic bladder substitutes [Studer (S)-Pouch vs. I-Pouch; 60 vs. 40 cm] impacts quality of life (QoL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 56 patients underwent radical cystectomy with ileal neobladder for bladder cancer [S-Pouch: 23 pat, 19 men, 4 women); I-Pouch: 33 pat (26 men, 7 women)]. They completed general (SF-36), cancer-specific (QLQ-C30) and bladder cancer-specific questionnaires (QLQ-BLM30) as well as a novel neobladder-specific questionnaire (TNQ). The questionnaire-based follow-up was 66 months (IQR 41-104; total range 9-161). RESULTS: I-Pouch patients reported better SF-36 physical health status (p = 0.026), QLQ-BLM30 continence scores (p < 0.001) and a more favorable QLQ-C30 total score compared to S-Pouch patients (p = 0.044). S-Pouch patients reported better QLQ-BLM30 general health status (p = 0.001). For the TNQ, no significant difference was found between both groups (p = 0.09). S-Pouch patients reported use of condom urinals more frequently (p = 0.026). S-Pouch patients tended to be on vitamin B12 substitution (p = 0.06). I-Pouch patients reported significantly higher micturition volumes (≥300 ml) compared to S-Pouch patients (30/33 vs. 16/23; p = 0.040). No differences were found with regard to bicarbonate supplementation and recurrent urinary tract infections. CONCLUSION: Non-neobladder-specific questionnaires show controversial results for QoL outcomes of patients with Studer and I-Pouch. The TNQ suggests that none of these two types of neobladder is superior to the other in terms of QoL. Hence, general questionnaires are not valid enough to adequately address QoL aspects in patients with different neobladders. Development and validation of neobladder-specific questionnaires are needed.