Essential Oil of the Rhizome ofCurcuma zedoaria(Christm.) Rose. Native to Northeast India

GC-MS and ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy Coupled with Chemometric Analysis for Detection and Quantification of White Turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria) Essential Oils Adulteration

<b>Background and Objective:</b> White turmeric essential oil (WTEO) is known to have high commercial value since it has been used to improve immunological function, increase blood circulation, ease toxin clearance and stimulate digestion. However, there is no standard to regulate the specific characteristics of white turmeric essential oil. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop an analytical technique for WTEO authentication from vegetable oils, namely palm oil (PO), coconut oil (VCO) and soybean oil (SO), using FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics, as well as GC-MS spectroscopy. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The WTEO was obtained by hydrodistillation method. Pure WTEO and vegetable oils were scanned in the MIR region (4000-650 cm¹) of FTIR spectroscopy and the spectra were further analyzed using chemometrics. <b>Results:</b> The extraction yielded 0.103% v/w WTEO, a dark purple color with a specific pungent odor. Discriminant analysis separated pure WTEO and adulterated WTEO with 100% accuracy at wave numbers 4000-650 cm¹. The best PLS regressions to quantify SO, VCO, PO and concentration in WTEO were at wave numbers 4000-1100, 1400-1050 and 2100-650 cm¹, respectively. <b>Conclusion:</b> The FTIR and chemometrics combination effectively authenticates white turmeric essential oil from any possible adulterants, such as vegetable oil.

Microwave-assisted Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Pretreatment Followed by Hydrodistillation Coupled with GC-MS for Analysis of Essential Oil from Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

In the past decade, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) as green and sustainable extraction solvents with great potential for the efficient extraction of bioactive compounds from the plants are emerging. In this study, a microwave-assisted technology is used to prepare natural deep eutectic solvents. And natural deep eutectic solvents as pretreatment solvents coupled with microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) for isolating essential oil (EO) derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is investigated. To improve the essential oil yield of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) as a target, various factors affecting extraction efficiency including the type and amount of natural deep eutectic solvents, pretreatment time, pretreatment temperature and hydrodistillation (HD) time are discussed and optimized through central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions are as follows: natural deep eutectic solvent composed of choline chloride and oxalic acid (molar ratio with 1:1) as a pretreatment solvent, an amount of 60 g, a pretreatment time of 5 min, a pretreatment temperature of 84 ºC, a hydrodistillation time of 76 min. Under the optimum conditions, the highest essential oil yield of 0.85% is achieved. Additionally, the essential oil is analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), with a total of 49 compounds being identified. Through combining natural deep eutectic solvents with a microwave-assisted hydrodistillation technique, this work provides an eco-friendly extraction way of isolating essential oil, which boosts development in the monitoring other spice quality field.

Maternal Reproductive Toxicity of Some Essential Oils and Their Constituents

Even though several plants can improve the female reproductive function, the use of herbs, herbal preparations, or essential oils during pregnancy is questionable. This review is focused on the effects of some essential oils and their constituents on the female reproductive system during pregnancy and on the development of the fetus. The major concerns include causing abortion, reproductive hormone modulation, maternal toxicity, teratogenicity, and embryo-fetotoxicity. This work summarizes the important studies on the reproductive effects of essential oil constituents anethole, apiole, citral, camphor, thymoquinone, trans-sabinyl acetate, methyl salicylate, thujone, pulegone, β-elemene, β-eudesmol, and costus lactone, among others.

Biological Activity of Some Aromatic Plants and Their Metabolites, with an Emphasis on Health-Promoting Properties

The biological activities of four aromatic plants, namely frankincense, myrrh, ginger, and turmeric, were reviewed in the current study. The volatile fraction (essential oil) as well as the nonvolatile fraction of these four plants showed different promising biological activities that are displayed in detail. These activities can include protection from and/or alleviation of some ailment, which is supported with different proposed mechanisms of action. This review aimed to finally help researchers to get a handle on the importance of considering these selected aromatic plants, which have not been thoroughly reviewed before, as a potential adjuvant to classical synthetic drugs to enhance their efficiency. Moreover, the results elicited in this review encourage the consumption of these medicinal plants as an integrated part of the diet to boost the body's overall health based on scientific evidence.

Rapid plant regeneration in industrially important Curcuma zedoaria revealing genetic and biochemical fidelity of the regenerants

The present investigation was carried out to establish an efficient and reproducible micropropagation protocol for the production of morphologically, genetically and chemically uniform plants of Curcuma zedoaria. Axillary bud explants of C. zedoaria were inoculated into MS basal medium supplemented with various combinations and concentrations of 6-benzyladenine (2.2-22.2 µM, BA), kinetin (2.3-23.2 µM, Kin), indole-3-acetic acid (2.9-11.4 µM, IAA), α-naphthalene acetic acid (2.7-10.2 µM, NAA) and adenine sulphate (33.9-203.6 µM, Ads). Almost 95% of rhizome buds sprouted on MS medium supplemented with 13.3 μM BA, 5.7 μM IAA and 63.9 μM Ads giving rise to an average of 12.89 ± 0.02 shoots within 6 weeks. However, the maximum number of roots (25.8 ± 0.07 roots per explant) was obtained on half strength MS medium supplemented with 7.4 µM of IBA after 4 weeks of inoculation. Morphological characteristics were similar in both conventionally propagated and micropropagated plants. Additionally, genetic homogeneity of in vitro plants was further confirmed through ISSR and flow cytometry analysis. A total of 27 ISSR primers were screened, out of which 13 ISSR primers generated 58 monomorphic and reproducible bands thereby confirming the genetic uniformity of obtained plants. The mean 2C DNA content of the mother plant (2.96 pg) was similar to that of in vitro derived plants (3.07 pg). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed similarity in the qualitative profile of chemical constituents of essential oil and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed no significant differences in curcumin content in the tissue culture regenerants and mother plants of C. zedoaria. Therefore, the present micropropagation protocol could be effectively employed to generate true to type plantlets of C. zedoaria.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils of Curcuma Species

Members of the genus Curcuma L. have been used in traditional medicine for centuries for treating gastrointestinal disorders, pain, inflammatory conditions, wounds, and for cancer prevention and antiaging, among others. Many of the biological activities of Curcuma species can be attributed to nonvolatile curcuminoids, but these plants also produce volatile chemicals. Essential oils, in general, have shown numerous beneficial effects for health maintenance and treatment of diseases. Essential oils from Curcuma spp., particularly C. longa, have demonstrated various health-related biological activities and several essential oil companies have recently marketed Curcuma oils. This review summarizes the volatile components of various Curcuma species, the biological activities of Curcuma essential oils, and potential safety concerns of Curcuma essential oils and their components.

Chemical constituents and biological research on plants in the genus Curcuma

Curcuma, a valuable genus in the family Zingiberaceae, includes approximately 110 species. These plants are native to Southeast Asia and are extensively cultivated in India, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Peru, Australia, and the West Indies. The plants have long been used in folk medicine to treat stomach ailments, stimulate digestion, and protect the digestive organs, including the intestines, stomach, and liver. In recent years, substantial progress has been achieved in investigations regarding the chemical and pharmacological properties, as well as in clinical trials of certain Curcuma species. This review comprehensively summarizes the current knowledge on the chemistry and briefly discusses the biological activities of Curcuma species. A total of 720 compounds, including 102 diphenylalkanoids, 19 phenylpropene derivatives, 529 terpenoids, 15 flavonoids, 7 steroids, 3 alkaloids, and 44 compounds of other types isolated or identified from 32 species, have been phytochemically investigated. The biological activities of plant extracts and pure compounds are classified into 15 groups in detail, with emphasis on anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated angiogenesis involved in reproductive toxicity induced by sesquiterpenoids of Curcuma zedoaria in rats

The use of herbal medicine has rapidly increased in recent decades, prompting an increase in toxicity concerns. Here we investigated whether and how essential oil of Curcuma zedoaria may induce reproductive and developmental toxicity. Whole embryo culture in rats revealed that the essential oil produced a concentration-dependent toxicity ex vivo in the embryos on gestation Day 9.5 (GD9.5). Weight loss, abnormal hematological and biochemical effects on dams and embryos were also observed in GD17 pregnant rats orally administrated with 100mgkg(-1) or 200mgkg(-1) essential oil from GD7 onward. Induction of embryotoxicity may be related to placental calcification attributed to inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated angiogenesis. Analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated that the main toxic compounds in essential oil were sesquiterpenoids. Our results suggest that the reproductive toxicity of C. zedoaria may be caused by sesquiterpenoids in the essential oil blocking VEGF-mediated angiogenesis.

Antitumour Effects of Isocurcumenol Isolated from Curcuma zedoaria Rhizomes on Human and Murine Cancer Cells

Curcuma zedoaria belonging to the family Zingiberaceae has been used in the traditional system of medicine in India and Southwest Asia in treating many human ailments and is found to possess many biological activities. The rationale of the present study was to isolate, identify, and characterize antitumour principles from the rhizomes of Curcuma zedoaria, to assess its cytotoxic effects on human and murine cancer cells, to determine its apoptosis inducing capacity in cancer cells, and to evaluate its tumour reducing properties in in vivo mice models. Isocurcumenol was characterized as the active compound by spectroscopy and was found to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells without inducing significant toxicity to the normal cells. Fluorescent staining exhibited the morphological features of apoptosis in the compound-treated cancer cells. In vivo tumour reduction studies revealed that a dose of 35.7 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the ascitic tumour in DLA-challenged mice and increased the lifespan with respect to untreated control mice.

Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. (white turmeric): a review of its chemical, pharmacological and ethnomedicinal properties

Objectives

Curcuma zedoaria Rosc is a perennial herb found in tropical countries, such as India, Japan and Thailand. Various parts of this plant are used in Ayurveda and other folk medicines for the treatment of different ailments such as diarrhoea, cancer, flatulence and dyspepsia. This study is an attempt to compile an up-to-date and comprehensive review of C. zedoaria that covers its traditional and folk medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

Key findings

Research carried out using different in-vitro and in-vivo techniques of biological evaluation supports most of the claims.

Summary

This review presents the botany, chemistry, traditional uses and pharmacological data of the plant.

Germacrone: Occurrence, Synthesis, Chemical Transformations and Biological Properties

Germacrone (1) forms part of a great number of essential oils, in some of them comprising more than 20% of the total oil. This compound presents a wide range of biological activities (CNS depressant, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antifeedant, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor, antitussive, vasodilator, choleretic, hepatoprotector), which are analyzed. The chemical reactivity of germacrone, including cyclization reactions, and complete synthesis are presented.