Abstract Twenty-four new compounds were prepared, taking curcumin as a lead, in order to explore their antioxidant and antitumor properties. The capacities of these derivatives to scavenge the 2, 2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS.+), and to protect human red blood cells (RBCs) from oxidative haemolysis were investigated. In addition, the percentage viability of different cell lines (Hep G2, WI38, ...