EF25-(glutathione)2

EF25-(glutathione)2, also known as EF25-(GSH)2, is a water-soluble small molecule curcumin analog developed at Emory University for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. It consists of the curcumin-derived scaffold EF25 (3,5-bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)tetrahydro-4H-pyran-4-one) conjugated with two glutathione molecules to improve potency and bioavailability over traditional curcumin. The compound exerts its anti-tumor effects by inducing a biphasic autophagy mechanism and apoptosis in cancer cells. At low concentrations, it induces reversible autophagy, while high concentrations lead to arrested autophagy and extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization. Preclinical studies have shown that EF25-(glutathione)2 significantly inhibits the growth of HepG2 hepatoma cells and suppresses tumor growth in mouse xenograft models with minimal toxicity to normal hepatic cells.

Other names

3,5-bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)tetrahydro-4H-pyran-4-one glutathione conjugateEF25-GSH2EF-25-GSH2EF 25-GSH2