Quantitative determination of eight components in rhizome (Jianghuang) and tuberous root (Yujin) of Curcuma longa using pressurized liquid extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Curcumae Radix: A Review of Traditional Use, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Quality Control

Curcumae Radix (CuR) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used in China for more than 1,000 years. It has the traditional efficacy of activating blood and relieving pain, promoting qi and relieving depression, clearing heart and cooling blood, and promoting gallbladder and removing jaundice. Based on this, many domestic and foreign scholars have conducted systematic studies on its chemical composition, pharmacological effects, toxicity and quality control. Currently, 250 compounds, mainly including terpenoids and curcuminoids, have been isolated and identified from CuR, which has pharmacological activities, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, antidepressant, hepatoprotective, hemostatic, hematopoietic, and treatment of diabetes mellitus. In modern clinical practice, CuR is widely used in the treatment of tumors, breast hyperplasia, hepatitis, and stroke. However, the generation of toxicity and clinical application of CuR and Caryophylli Flos, the determination of the concoction process of artifacts, the determination of specific Quality Marker, and the establishment of the quality control system of CuR, are problems that need to be solved urgently at present.

Curcumin-rich curry consumption and life expectancy: Singapore longitudinal ageing study

The therapeutic potential of curcumin for many diseases are intensively investigated. However, real-world observational data documenting health and longevity effects associated with dietary curcumin in turmeric from consuming curry in food is lacking. A prospective cohort study of 4551 adults aged 55 + assessed curry consumption (never or < once/year, ≥ once/year to < once/month, ≥ once/month to < once/week, ≥ once/week to < daily, ≥ once daily), prevalent health conditions, blood biomarker indexes of atherogenicity, insulin resistance, and inflammation at baseline, and mean (SD) 11.6 (3.8) year follow up of all-cause, CVS and cancer mortality. There were linear positive associations of increasing curry consumption with waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, TyG, AIP, CRI-1, CRI-2, central obesity and diabetes prevalence, and inverse association with eGFR. There were non-linear associations with FEV1/height2 and COPD prevalence, GDS score and depression, MMSE score and cognitive impairment, comorbidity count, serum albumin and haemoglobin, being most favourable with moderate consumption. The levels of NLR, PLR and SII indices of systemic and immune inflammation decreased linearly with curry consumption. Total mortality HR adjusted for baseline co-variables, decreased across curry consumption, 0.68 (95%CI 0.56-0.82), 0.54 (95%CI 0.43-0.69), 0.70 (0.52-0.93), and 0.62 (0.41-0.95), being lowest in the middle categories. Among participants with cardio-metabolic and vascular diseases (CMVD), at least occasional curry consumption was associated with decreased mortality risk by 39%, and increased life expectancy by 1.0 years. Among those without CMVD, the associated life expectancy increase was 1.9 years. Moderate curry consumption may confer meaningful longevity benefits.

Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption and Neurocognitive Function from 4.5-Year Follow-Up of Community-Dwelling Older Adults (Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study)

The potential neurocognition protective effects of dietary curcumin in curry consumed with food was investigated in this study of 2734 community-dwelling adults (aged ≥ 55, mean ± SD: 65.9 ± 7.4). We analyzed longitudinal data of baseline curry consumption (“never or rarely”, “occasionally”: <once a month, “often”: >once a month and <once a week, “very often”: >once a week or daily) and baseline and 4.5-year follow-up cognitive function in mixed model analyses controlling for confounding risk factors. Significant between-exposure differences were found for Digit Span-Backward (DS-B), Verbal Fluency-Animals (VF-A) and Block Design (BD). Compared to “never or rarely” consumption, “very often” and “often” consumptions were associated with higher DS-B performance; “very often”—with higher VF-A, and “occasional”, “often” and “very often” consumptions—with higher BD: Cohen’s d: from 0.130 to 0.186. Among participants with cardiometabolic and cardiac diseases (CMVD), curry consumption was associated with significantly higher DS-B and VF-A. Among CMVD-free participants, curry consumption was associated with significantly higher DS-B, VF-A and BD: Cohen’s d: from 0.098 to 0.305. The consumption of dietary curcumin was associated with the maintenance over time of higher functioning on attention, short-term working memory, visual spatial constructional ability, language and executive function among community-dwelling older Asian adults.

Turmeric Oil: Composition, Extraction, Potential Health Benefits and Other Useful Applications

The turmeric essential oil of Curcuma species has extensively more useful properties due to its rich phytochemical profile. The concentration of volatile chemical constituents varies according to their type of applied plant part (i.e., root, rhizome, leaves, and flower) for extraction and type of the adopted extraction method. Novel extraction and purification methods, subcritical CO2 , supercritical CO2 , pressurized liquid extraction, and molecular distillation are found to be more efficient for good recovery of this volatile oil, along with increased concentrations of specified compounds. Not only have the curcuminoid compounds had a broad potential in the field of pharmacology but also the turmeric oil is found to have great applicability in treating several diseases and disorders. Turmeric oil possesses good antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-hyperlipidemic anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and hepato-protective properties. Apart from medicinal fields, this oil has also a great future in the cosmetics, pesticide, and food industries due to its rich chemical profile. The present review focuses on providing information about turmeric oil in terms of its physicochemical properties, chemical composition, and available traditional extraction techniques, as well as available novel extraction options, actual health benefits, and other useful applications. It is hoped that the reported information is helpful for further discovery in the area of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical applications.

Spatial variation of volatile organic compounds and antioxidant activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) essential oils harvested from four provinces of China

The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial variation of volatile organic compounds and antioxidant activity of turmeric essential oils (TEOs) harvested from four provinces of China. The major chemical components of these TEOs were analyzed using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. More than forty volatile organic compounds in TEOs were identified, which accounted for 82.09–93.64% of the oil components. The relative abundances of the main volatile organic compounds in TEOs at the genus level were visualized by a heat map. The antioxidant activity of the TEOs of five different origins was characterized by the DPPH free radical scavenging activity, in which the antioxidant activity of the TEOs from Guangxi was superior to those of other sources. Furthermore, the IC₅₀ values of the antioxidants TEOs collected from Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Changting, and Liancheng were 33.30, 42.5, 35.22, 63.27, and 39.96 mg/mL, respectively, which indicated the excellent free radical scavenging activity of those TEOs. Therefore, the TEOs might be considered as a natural antioxidant with potential applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.

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Turmeric essential oils stemmed from four provinces of China were investigated.

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Multivariate analysis of volatile organic compounds in TEOs was performed.

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The major components of volatile organic compounds exhibited a spatial variation.

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Antioxidant activity of turmeric essential oils demonstrated a spatial variation.

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TEOs of Guangxi had a superior antioxidant activity to those of other origins.

Curcumae Radix: a review of its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology

OBJECTIVES

Curcumae Radix, the medicinal part is radix, commonly called as Yujin (Chinese:), is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for its high medicinal value and health benefits. Curcumae Radix has been used to treat conditions such as syndrome of heat disease and unconsciousness, epilepsy and internal stagnation of phlegm, qi stagnation and blood stasis, dysmenorrhoea, jaundice, cholelithiasis caused by dampness heat of liver and gallbladder. This review aims to summarize the botany, traditional usages, processing, phytochemistry, quality control, pharmacology and toxicology of Curcumae Radix to better understand its therapeutic potential.

KEY FINDINGS

So far, a variety of chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from Curcumae Radix, mainly including volatile oil and diphenylheptanes. Modern research shows that the extracts and compounds from Curcumae Radix possess wide-ranging pharmacological effects, including anti-tumour, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, anti-thrombosis, as well as effects on the nervous system and others.

SUMMARY

Curcumae Radix holds an important position in traditional system of medicine. It is cost-effective and an important plant with curative application in contemporary medicine. However, further in-depth studies are also needed to determine the medical uses of this plant and its chemical constituents, pharmacological activity, quality control and toxicology.

A Comprehensive Mini-Review of Curcumae Radix: Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology

Curcumae Radix is an efficacious ingredient with various medicinal properties empirically used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of cancer, depression, chest pain, dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, and jaundice. However, either phytochemical or pharmacological information of Curcumae Radix underlying its traditionally medicinal uses is rarely summarized and systematically analyzed. To provide evidence for clinical trials, a comprehensive literature review has been prepared of the phytochemicals, and ethnopharmacological and pharmacological mechanisms of this herb. The review approach consisted of searching several web-based scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Elsevier. The keywords included “Curcumae Radix,” “ Curcuma wenyujin,” “ Curcuma longa,” “ Curcuma kwangsiensis,” and “ Curcuma phaeocaulis.” Based on the proposed criteria, 57 articles were evaluated in detail. The accumulated data indicate that Curcumae Radix contains a number of bioactive phytochemicals, mainly sesquiterpenes, diarylheptanoids, and diarylpentanoids, which account for a variety of medicinal values, such as anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-hepatic fibrosis, and antioxidant. A wide range of apoptotic proteins, cell adhesion molecules, inflammatory cytokines, and enzymic and nonenzymic antioxidants could be modulated by either Curcumae Radix or its bioactive compounds, thus underpinning a fundamental understanding for the pharmacological effects of this herb. This review highlights the therapeutic potential of Curcumae Radix to progress the development of versatile adjuvants or therapeutic agents in the future.

Curcumin, Gut Microbiota, and Neuroprotection

Curcumin, a nontoxic, naturally occurring polyphenol, has been recently proposed for the management of neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. However, a discrepancy exists between the well-documented pharmacological activities that curcumin seems to possess in vivo and its poor aqueous solubility, bioavailability, and pharmacokinetic profiles that should limit any therapeutic effect. Thus, it is possible that curcumin could exert direct regulative effects primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, where high concentrations of curcumin are present after oral administration. Indeed, a new working hypothesis that could explain the neuroprotective role of curcumin despite its limited availability is that curcumin acts indirectly on the central nervous system by influencing the “microbiota–gut–brain axis”, a complex bidirectional system in which the microbiome and its composition represent a factor which preserves and determines brain “health”. Interestingly, curcumin and its metabolites might provide benefit by restoring dysbiosis of gut microbiome. Conversely, curcumin is subject to bacterial enzymatic modifications, forming pharmacologically more active metabolites than curcumin. These mutual interactions allow to keep proper individual physiologic functions and play a key role in neuroprotection.

Brassica nigra and Curcuma longa Compounds Affecting Interactions Between Spodoptera exigua and Its Natural Enemies Cotesia flavipes and Podisus maculiventris

The interaction Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) × its natural enemies Cotesia flavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Podisus maculiventris Say (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) × botanical compounds with and without synergist is unknown; therefore, it was studied under controlled conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the direct mortality of P. maculiventris nymphs and adults and indirect by this predator feeding on S. exigua larvae treated after being exposed to parasitism by C. flavipes. Brassica nigra L. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae) and Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberales: Zingiberaceae) compounds, with and without lead (II) oxide (PbO), were tested as insecticides. The mortality of first and second instars P. maculiventris was high with turmeric essential oil by topical application. The PbO increased the predator mortality in combination with turmeric powder, crude essential oil, and ar-turmerone. This last derivative caused also the highest mortality of P. maculiventris nymphs when ingested through treated S. exigua larvae that were previously subjected to parasitism. Turmeric powder and its derivatives, with and without PbO, should not be used in areas with P. maculiventris due to the high mortality caused to this predator.

Preparation and Application of Standardized Typical Volatile Components Fraction from Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) by Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Step Molecular Distillation

A green and reliable method using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and molecular distillation (MD) was optimized for the separation and purification of standardized typical volatile components fraction (STVCF) from turmeric to solve the shortage of reference compounds in quality control (QC) of volatile components. A high quality essential oil with 76.0% typical components of turmeric was extracted by SFE. A sequential distillation strategy was performed by MD. The total recovery and purity of prepared STVCF were 97.3% and 90.3%, respectively. Additionally, a strategy, i.e., STVCF-based qualification and quantitative evaluation of major bioactive analytes by multiple calibrated components, was proposed to easily and effectively control the quality of turmeric. Compared with the individual calibration curve method, the STVCF-based quantification method was demonstrated to be credible and was effectively adapted for solving the shortage of reference volatile compounds and improving the QC of typical volatile components in turmeric, especially its functional products.

Simultaneous Quantification of Three Curcuminoids and Three Volatile Components of Curcuma longa Using Pressurized Liquid Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was investigated for the simultaneous quantification of two chemical types of bioactive compounds in the rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn. (turmeric), including three curcuminoids: Curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and demethoxycurcumin; and three volatile components: ar-turmerone, β-turmerone, and α-turmerone. In the present study, the sample extraction system was optimized by a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) process for further HPLC analysis. The established HPLC analysis conditions were achieved using a Zorbax SB-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) and a gradient mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile and 0.4% (v/v) aqueous acetic acid with an eluting rate of 1.0 mL/min. The curcuminoids and volatile components were detected at 430 nm and 240 nm, respectively. Moreover, the method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, stability and accuracy. The validated method was successfully applied to evaluate the quality of twelve commercial turmeric samples.

Quantitative analysis of sesquiterpenes and comparison of three Curcuma wenyujin herbal medicines by micro matrix solid phase dispersion coupled with MEEKC

A simple, efficient and environmental friendly method was proposed for determining five sesquiterpenoids of Curcuma wenyujin by MSPD extraction coupled with MEEKC separation. Molecular sieve was applied as a solid support for extraction of sesquiterpenoids for the first time. Various parameters affecting extraction and separation efficiency were investigated. The optimized conditions involved dispersing sample (200 mg) with 200 mg of TS-1 for 150 s and using 1000 μL of methanol to elute five target analytes. Finally, they were well separated by using a running buffer containing 1.3% SDS, 5.0% 1-butanol, 0.5% ethyl acetate and 10% acetonitrile in 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0. Consequently, the developed method was fully validated and successfully applied to determine the five sesquiterpenoids including curdine, curcumenol, germacrone, furanodiene and β-elemene in Curcuma wenyujin origin's Chinese herbal medicines. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis was performed based on the contents of target compounds for distinguishing steamed and non-steamed drugs. The present study provided a promising method for fast investigation and discrimination of chemical difference in steam & non-steamed Chinese medicines from Curcuma wenyujin origin.

Formulation development and evaluation of antimicrobial polyherbal gel

OBJECTIVE

In the recent years, there has been a gradual revival of interest in the use of medicinal plants in developing countries because herbal medicines have been reported safe with minimal adverse side effect especially when compared with synthetic drugs.

METHOD

In the present study we prepared gel formulations (formulations A and B) which comprised of ethanolic extract of Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, Allium sativum, Ocimum sactum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum nees and Tamarindus indica in a concentration of 0.1 and 0.5%, respectively in a base. The base was prepared by using carbapol 940, propylene glycol-400, ethanol, methyl paraben, propylparaben, EDTA, triethanolamine and required amount of water in a quantity sufficient to prepare 50g. The prepared formulations were screened for their antimicrobial activity by agar well diffusion technique against S. aureus, B. subtilis, A. niger and E. coli which are representative types of Gram positive and Gram negative organisms. The formulations were also evaluated for appearance and homogeneity, pH, viscosity and rheological studies, spreadability, drug content uniformity, skin irritation test (Patch test) and washability.

RESULT

The results of the studies revealed that both formulation under study viz A and B showed better zone of inhibition as compared with the base. However, formulation B exhibited maximum activity against the selected strains which may be attributed to its greater amount of herbal extracts as compared to formulation A.

CONCLUSION

Based on our research, it could be concluded that these formulations possess antimicrobial activity and can be used safely on human skin.

Turmeric powder and its derivatives from Curcuma longa rhizomes: Insecticidal effects on cabbage looper and the role of synergists

Curcuma longa has well-known insecticidal and repellent effects on insect pests, but its impact on Trichoplusia ni is unknown. In this study, the compound ar-turmerone, extracted and purified from C. longa rhizomes, was identified, and its insecticidal effects, along with turmeric powder, curcuminoid pigments and crude essential oil were evaluated against this important agricultural pest. The role of natural (sesamol and piperonal) and synthetic [piperonyl butoxide (PBO)] synergists under laboratory and greenhouse conditions were also evaluated. The concentration of ar-turmerone in C. longa rhizomes harvested was 0.32% (dwt). Turmeric powder and its derivatives caused 10-20% mortality in third instar T. ni at a very low dose (10 μg/larva). Addition of PBO increased toxicity of turmeric powder and its derivatives (90-97% mortality) in most binary combinations (5 μg of turmeric powder or its derivatives +5 μg of PBO), but neither piperonal nor sesamol were active as synergists. The compound ar-turmerone alone and the combination with PBO reduced larval weight on treated Brassica oleracea in the laboratory and in greenhouse experiments, compared with the negative control. The compound ar-turmerone could be used as a low cost botanical insecticide for integrated management of cabbage looper in vegetable production.

Carlina acaulis Exhibits Antioxidant Activity and Counteracts Aβ Toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Carlina acaulis is a medicinal plant that has shown antioxidant activity in in vitro studies, but to date no corresponding in vivo data is available. Therefore, in the present study the antioxidant activity and its impact in counteracting Aβ toxicity were studied in the Caenorhabditis elegans model. A dichloromethane extract of the roots of C. acaulis was prepared and characterised via gas-liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry (GLC-MS). The in vitro antioxidant activity was confirmed via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydracyl assay. The extract was further separated by thin layer chromatography into two fractions, one of which was a fraction of the dichloromethane extract of C. acaulis containing mostly Carlina oxide (CarOx). Different strains of C. elegans were employed to study the expression of hsp-16.2p::GFP as a marker for oxidative stress, delocalisation of the transcription factor DAF-16 as a possible mechanism of antioxidant activity, the effect of the drug under lethal oxidative stress, and the effect against beta-amyloid (Aβ) toxicity in a paralysis assay. The C. acaulis extract and CarOx showed high antioxidant activity (stress reduction by 47% and 64%, respectively) in C. elegans and could activate the transcription factor DAF-16 which directs the expression of anti-stress genes. In paralysis assay, only the total extract was significantly active, delaying paralysis by 1.6 h. In conclusion, in vivo antioxidant activity was shown for C. acaulis for the first time in the C. elegans model. The active antioxidant compound is Carlina oxide. This activity, however, is not sufficient to counteract Aβ toxicity. Other mechanisms and possibly other active compounds are involved in this effect.

Discriminating from species of Curcumae Radix (Yujin) by a UHPLC/Q-TOFMS-based metabolomics approach

Background

Chinese medicinal herbs may use more than one species of Curcumae Radix (Yujin) is the tuberous roots of Curcumae wenyujin, C. kwangsiensis, C. phaeocaulis and C. longa. This study aimed to characterize the chemical profiles of these different species of Curcumae Radix, and develop a method for rapid discrimination of these species by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOFMS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis.

Methods

The metabolomes of 33 different batches of Curcumae Radix derived from four Curcumae species were profiled by UHPLC/Q-TOFMS. The resulting sample codes, t_R–m/z pairs and ion intensities were processed by unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to characterize the chemical composition of Curcumae Radix across the four different species.

Results

Obvious differences were observed in the chemical compositions of the Curcumae Radix samples derived from the four different species according to PCA and OPLS-DA. These results suggested that curcumin, curcumenone, curcumenol and zederone could be used as unique chemical markers for C. longa, C. wenyujin, C. phaeocaulis and C. kwangsiensis, respectively.

Conclusions

This study developed a UHPLC/Q-TOFMS method coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to discriminate between Curcumae Radix samples from four different Curcumae species, i.e., C. longa, C. wenyujin, C. phaeocaulis and C. kwangsiensis. Notably, this new approach resulted in the identification of curcumin (a), curcumenone (b), curcumenol (c) and zederone (d) as unique chemical markers for the identification.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13020-016-0095-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Two Traditional Chinese Medicines Curcumae Radix and Curcumae Rhizoma: An Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology Review

Curcumae Rhizoma, known as Ezhu (Chinese: ), and Curcumae Radix, known as Yujin (Chinese: ), are different plant parts coming from three same species according to China Pharmacopoeia. Actually, they are used in different ways in TCM clinical treatment. Curcumae Rhizoma is mainly used as antitumor drug, while Curcumae Radix has been used as antidepressant and cholagogue. Curcumae Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix are confused in variety and source, even in clinical trials by some nonprofessional workers. So it is important for us to make them clear. This review is aimed at summarizing the ethnopharmacology, phytochemical, and pharmacological differences between Curcumae Radix and Curcumae Rhizoma by SciFinder, CNKI, and so on, to use them exactly and clearly. Further studies on Curcumae Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases on the basis of the TCM theory.

Density functional theory calculations in stereochemical determination of terpecurcumins J-W, cytotoxic terpene-conjugated curcuminoids from Curcuma longa L

Fourteen novel terpene-conjugated curcuminoids, terpecurcumins J-W (1-14), have been isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. Among them, terpecurcumins J-Q and V represent four unprecedented skeletons featuring an unusual core of hydrobenzannulated[6,6]-spiroketal (1 and 2), bicyclo[2.2.2]octene (3-7), bicyclo[3.1.3]octene (8), and spiroepoxide (13), respectively. The structures of compounds 1-14 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, and their absolute configurations were established by electronic circular dichroism, vibrational circular dichroism, and (13)C NMR spectroscopic data analysis, together with density functional theory calculations. The structure and configuration of 1 was further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (Cu Kα). The biogenetic pathways of 1-14 were proposed, involving Michael addition, condensation, Diels-Alder cycloaddition, and electrophilic substitution reactions. Terpecurcumins showed more potent cytotoxic activities than curcumin and ar-/β-turmerone. Among them, terpecurcumin Q (8) exhibited IC50 of 3.9 μM against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis played an important role in the overall growth inhibition. Finally, LC/MS/MS quantitative analysis of five representative terpecurcumins indicated these novel compounds were present in C. longa at parts per million level.

HPLC-MS and GC-MS Analyses Combined with Orthogonal Partial Least Squares to Identify Cytotoxic Constituents from Turmeric (Curcuma Longa L.)

We investigated the fingerprints of 48 batches of turmeric total extracts (TTE) by HPLC-MS-MS and GC-MS analyses and 43 characteristic peaks (22 constituents from HPLC-MS-MS; 21 from GC-MS) were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. An MTT {3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide} assay was implemented to measure the cytotoxicity of the TTE against HeLa cells. Then we utilized orthogonal partial least squares analysis, which correlated the chemical composition of the TTE to its cytotoxic activity, to identify potential cytotoxic constituents from turmeric. The result showed that 19 constituents contributed significantly to the cytotoxicity. The obtained result was verified by canonical correlation analysis. Comparison with previous reports also indicated some interaction between the curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric.

Therapeutic potential of turmeric in Alzheimer's disease: curcumin or curcuminoids?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. There is limited choice in modern therapeutics, and drugs available have limited success with multiple side effects in addition to high cost. Hence, newer and alternate treatment options are being explored for effective and safer therapeutic targets to address AD. Turmeric possesses multiple medicinal uses including treatment for AD. Curcuminoids, a mixture of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, are vital constituents of turmeric. It is generally believed that curcumin is the most important constituent of the curcuminoid mixture that contributes to the pharmacological profile of parent curcuminoid mixture or turmeric. A careful literature study reveals that the other two constituents of the curcuminoid mixture also contribute significantly to the effectiveness of curcuminoids in AD. Therefore, it is emphasized in this review that each component of the curcuminoid mixture plays a distinct role in making curcuminoid mixture useful in AD, and hence, the curcuminoid mixture represents turmeric in its medicinal value better than curcumin alone. The progress in understanding the disease etiology demands a multiple-site-targeted therapy, and the curcuminoid mixture of all components, each with different merits, makes this mixture more promising in combating the challenging disease.

Identification and quantification of the major volatile constituents in antidepressant active fraction of xiaoyaosan by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a well-known formula for relieving depression, was originated from the book of "Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang" in Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), composed of Radix Bupleuri, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Poria, Herba Menthae, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens and Radix Glycyrrhizae with dose proportion of 6:6:6:6:6:3:2:2. It is commonly used for the treatment of depression-related syndromes in China. In the formula, Radix Bupleuri usually serves as the principal drug, Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Radix Paeoniae Alba serve as the ministerial drugs, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Poria, Herba Menthae and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens serve as adjunctive drugs, Radix Glycyrrhizae serves as messenger drug, they coordinate with each other and enhance the effect of the formula. In our previous experiments, the antidepressant effect of XYS was revealed. However, the antidepressant part (or component) of this prescription was still obscure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An experimental despair animal model: the mice tail suspension test (TST) was used to evaluate the antidepressant activity of XYS and its fractions. GC-MS method was developed to identify the volatile components and determine 4 major volatile components in active fraction.

RESULTS

In the TST test, the effect of a low polar fraction (XY-EA) was superior to other fractions of XYS. 13 volatile compounds in the XY-EA were identified on the basis of standards, isolation and structural determination in our laboratory, NIST 05 database and literature data. The content of 4 major volatile compounds in XY-EA which is 6.703%.

CONCLUSIONS

The petroleum ether fraction (XY-EA) appears to be the active fraction of XYS. 4 major components Z-ligustilide, palmitic acid, atractylenolide I, and atractylenolide II may be the antidepressant active compounds.

Strategies for quality control of Chinese medicines

Chinese medicines (CM) have been attracting interest and acceptance in many countries. Quality control is vital for ensuring the safety and efficacy of CM. Usually, CM are used as whole plant and/or combination of several herbs, and multiple constituents are responsible for the therapeutic effects. Therefore, quality control of CM is very difficult. To date, the valid method for quantitatively evaluating the quality of CM is poor. In this article, the strategies for quantification, related to the markers, reference compounds and approaches, in quality control of CM were reviewed and discussed.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of curcuminoids in herbal medicines derived from Curcuma species

A validated and sensitive HPLC-UV-MS method was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of curcuminoids in eight herbal medicines derived from four Curcuma species. The samples were separated on a YMC ODS-A C18 column with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid. Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin showed good linearity (r>0.9998) in the concentration ranges of 4.88-625, 4.29-550 and 3.98-510μg/mL, respectively. The results suggested that the contents of three major curcuminoids in different herbal medicines varied significantly. Curcuminoids were only detected in Jianghuang, HuangsiYujin, and PengEzhu. Amongst them, Jianghuang contained the highest amounts of curcuminoids (40.36mg/g), which were almost 20 times higher than HuangsiYujin (1.94mg/g) and 400 times higher than PengEzhu (0.098mg/g). Furthermore, amongst the Jianghuang samples collected from different areas, samples from Sichuan Province contained remarkably higher amounts of curcuminoids (22.21-40.36mg/g) than other cultivation regions.

Free radical scavenging activity and characterization of sesquiterpenoids in four species of Curcuma using a TLC bioautography assay and GC-MS analysis

The sesquiterpenoids are one of major groups of antioxidants in Curcuma besides curcuminoids. However, the real substances contributing to the antioxidant activity are still unknown. In this paper, the antioxidant activity of sesquiterpenoids in four species and two essential oils from Curcuma genus was determined and compared based on TLC separation and DPPH bioautography assay. Their antioxidant capacities were quantitatively evaluated using densitometry with detection at 530 nm (λ_reference = 800 nm) using vitamin C as reference. The results showed that Curcuma longa rhizomes had the highest antioxidant capacity while C. phaeocaulis presented the lowest one among the four species of Curcuma. Moreover, essential oil of C. wenyujin showed higher antioxidant potential than that of C. longa. The main TLC bands with antioxidant activity of the four species of Curcuma were collected and characterized using GC-MS, and thus curzerene, furanodiene, α-turmerone, β-turmerone and β-sesquiphellandrene were determined as major sesquiterpenoids with antioxidant activity in Curcuma.

Preparative isolation and purification of six volatile compounds from essential oil of Curcuma wenyujin using high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography

Six volatile compounds, curdione (1), curcumol (2), germacrone (3), curzerene (4), 1,8-cineole (5) and beta-elemene (6), were successfully isolated from the essential oil of Curcuma wenyujin by high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography using a nonaqueous two-phase solvent system consisting of petroleum ether-acetonitrile-acetone (4:3:1 v/v/v). A total of 8 mg of curdione (1), 4 mg of curcumol (2), 10 mg of germacrone (3), 18 mg of curzerene (4), 9 mg of 1,8-cineole (5) and 17 mg of beta-elemene (6) were isolated from the essential oil (300 mg) in 500 min. Their structures were determined by comparison of their retention times and MS data with those of the authentic samples as well as NMR spectroscopic analysis.

Comparative study of chemical composition and antioxidant activity of fresh and dry rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.)

The phytoconstituents of essential oil and ethanol oleoresin of fresh and dry rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) were analyzed by GC-MS. The major constituents were aromatic-turmerone (24.4%), alpha-turmerone (20.5%) and beta-turmerone (11.1%) in fresh rhizome and aromatic-turmerone (21.4%), alpha-santalene (7.2%) and aromatic-curcumene (6.6%) in dry rhizome oil. Whereas, in oleoresins, the major components were alpha-turmerone (53.4%), beta-turmerone (18.1%) and aromatic-turmerone (6.2%) in fresh and aromatic-turmerone (9.6%), alpha-santalene (7.8%) and alpha-turmerone (6.5%) in dry rhizome. Results showed that alpha-turmerone, a major component in fresh rhizomes is only minor one in dry rhizomes. Also, the content of beta-turmerone in dry rhizomes is less than a half amount found in fresh rhizomes. The antioxidant properties have been assessed by various lipid peroxidation assays as well as DPPH radical scavenging and metal chelating methods. The essential oil and ethanol oleoresin of fresh rhizomes have higher antioxidant properties as compared dry ones.

Quantitation of curcuminoids in curcuma rhizome by near-infrared spectroscopic analysis

This study investigated a nondestructive and rapid quantitation method for the curcuminoids, including curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, present in turmeric using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and multivariate statistics. In the second derivatives of the NIR spectra of turmeric samples, two characteristic absorptions of curcuminoids were detected around 1700 and 2300-2320 nm. Partial least-squares regression (PLS-R) analysis was applied to the NIR spectra obtained from 34 turmeric samples, and PLS models for the quantitation of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and total curcuminoid contents in the pulverized turmeric samples were constructed. Combination usage of the Standard Normal Variate (SNV) and second derivatives was obviously superior to other preprocessing methods. The lowest root mean squared error of cross-validation (RMSECV) values were detected at 6, 6, 6, and 6 PLS factors, for the quantitative subjects curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and total curcuminoid contents. It was clarified that the prediction of the composition by PLS-R analysis showed high correlation with the results of HPLC quantitations.

Simultaneous analysis of glycyrrhizin, paeoniflorin, quercetin, ferulic acid, liquiritin, formononetin, benzoic acid and isoliquiritigenin in the Chinese proprietary medicine Xiao Yao Wan by HPLC

A high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode-array detection method was developed for simultaneous determination of glycyrrhizin, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, quercetin, ferulic acid, formononetin, liquiritin and isoliquiritigenin in the Chinese proprietary medicine "Xiao Yao Wan" (XYW). The analysis was performed by reverse phase gradient elution, using an aqueous mobile phase (containing 0.1% phosphoric acid) modified by acetonitrile and detection made simultaneously at four wavelengths. The method was validated for accuracy, precision and limits of detection and quantification. Ten batches of XYW obtained from different pharmaceutical companies were analyzed and found to contain different amounts of the eight bioactive markers. This method could be used for quality assessment of this herbal medicine.

HPTLC Method for the Quantitative Determination of ar-Turmerone and Turmerone in Lipid Soluble Fraction from Curcuma longa

A simple, sensitive and precise high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed and validated for the analysis of ar-turmerone and turmerone, the major constituents of the lipid soluble fraction of the herbal medicament (HM) obtained from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (turmeric). The separation was carried out on HPTLC aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60F-254, with n-hexane:ethyl acetate (9.8:0.2 v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric analysis of ar-turmerone and turmerone was carried out in the absorbance mode at 254 nm. This system was found to give compact spots for ar-turmerone and turmerone (Rf values 0.5 ± 0.05; 0.6 ± 0.04, respectively). A good linear regression relationship between peak areas and the concentrations was obtained over the range of 100–600 ng/spot, with correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.998 for ar-turmerone and turmerone, respectively. The limit of detection and quantification was found to be 20 and 40 ng/spot for ar-turmerone and turmerone, respectively. The method was further validated for precision and recovery. The RSD values of the precision were in the range 0.49–1.33% and spike recoveries were 99.9 and 100.0% for ar-turmerone and turmerone, respectively. Analysis of different batches of HM using the above method gave ar-turmerone and turmerone contents in the range of 25–30% and 30–38%. The developed HPTLC method can be applied for identification and quantitative determination of ar-turmerone and turmerone in the lipid soluble fractions of turmeric.

Standardization and stability studies of neuroprotective lipid soluble fraction obtained from Curcuma longa

The lipid soluble fraction of curcuma longa, i.e. herbal medicament (HM) was isolated from rhizome of curcuma longa by solvent extraction method. The identification of chemical constituent present in HM was done with GC, GC-MS. The standardization of HM was done using HPLC method on the basis of three-marker compound isolated, i.e. ar-turmerone, turmerone and curlone. The effect of temperature, pH and light on stability of marker compounds of HM was studied. The composition of marker compound in HM was found to be 50-60%. The content of curcumnoids, another bioactive constituent present in HM was found to be 0.32-0.55%. The HM was found to be stable at different temperature and pH but light sensitive.