4′-O-Methylglycosylation of Curcumin by Beauveria bassiana

The applications of curcumin have been limited by its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. In this study, we successfully synthesized a new curcumin derivative, curcumin-8'-O-4"-O-methyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, by biotransformation with the fungal strain Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159. The structure of this new product was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data. This is the first record of a curcumin glycoside that has been synthesized by a fungus.