Volatiles of Curcuma mangga Val. & Zijp (Zingiberaceae) from Malaysia

Essential oil composition of Curcuma species and drugs from Asia analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Essential oils (EOs) comprised of various bioactive compounds have been widely detected in the Curcuma species. Due to the widespread distribution and misidentification of Curcuma species and differences in processing methods, inconsistent reports on major compounds in rhizomes of the same species from different geographical regions are not uncommon. This inconsistency leads to confusion and inaccuracy in compound detection of each species and also hinders comparative study based on EO compositions. The present study aimed to characterize EO compositions of 12 Curcuma species, as well as to detect the compositional variation among different species, and between the plant specimens and their related genetically validated crude drug samples using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The plant specimens of the same species showed similar EO patterns, regardless of introducing from different geographical sources. Based on the similarity of EO compositions, all the specimens and samples were separated into eight main groups: C. longa; C. phaeocaulis, C. aeruginosa and C. zedoaria; C. zanthorrhiza; C. aromatica and C. wenyujin; C. kwangsiensis; C. amada and C. mangga; C. petiolata; C. comosa. From EOs of all the specimens and samples, 54 major compounds were identified, and the eight groups were chemically characterized. Most of the major compounds detected in plant specimens were also observed in crude drug samples, although a few compounds converted or degraded due to processing procedures or over time. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis allowed the marker compounds to discriminate each group or each species to be identified.

α-Glucosidase and Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Activities of Diterpenes from Indian Mango Ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) and Its Derivatives

Enzymatic inhibitions of crude extracts and their constituents from Zingiberaceae against both rat intestinal α-glucosidase and porcine pancreatic lipase were investigated. Structure-activity relationships using their derivatives were also investigated. The rhizomes extract of mango ginger, Curcuma amada showed remarkable inhibitory activity in the screening test. Two natural labdane diterpenes 1 and 2 and a drimane sesquiterpene 3 were major constituents isolated from this hexane extract. Among them, (E)-labda-8(17),12-diene-15,16-dial (1) was the most prominent compound and showed inhibitory activity against both α-glucosidase and lipase. Derivatives 4-10 from compound 1 were prepared and evaluated using inhibitory assays with these enzymes. The reduced derivative 4 maintained α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, but had decreased pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity compared with parent compound 1. Other tested derivatives of compound 1, including acetates 5-7 and oxidative derivatives 8-10, had very weak α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Most of these compounds showed moderate pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. However, only sesquiterpene albicanal (3) showed drastically decreased pancreatic lipase activity compared with 1. These findings suggested that molecular size was essential for enzymatic inhibitory activities of these compounds. These results demonstrated that mango ginger may be useful for the prevention of obesity and being overweight.

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.

Toxic essential oils. Part II: chemical, toxicological, pharmacological and microbiological profiles of Artemisia annua L. volatiles

Botanical drugs based on Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae) are important in the treatment of malaria. Alongside with artemisinin, this aromatic species produces high and variable amounts of other chemicals that have mostly unknown biological/pharmacological activities. Herein, we have studied the toxicological/pharmacological profile of volatile constituents of a Serbian population of A. annua. Fifty-eight components were identified, among them, artemisia ketone (35.7%), α-pinene (16.5%) and 1,8-cineole (5.5%) were the most abundant ones. Significant variability of A. annua volatile profile was confirmed by means of agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis indicating the existence of several different A. annua chemotypes. In an attempt to connect the chemical profile of A. annua oil with its biological/toxicological effects, we have evaluated in vivo and/or in vitro toxicity (including hepato- and nephrotoxicity/protection), antinociceptive, antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS and superoxide radical scavenging activity assays), enzyme inhibiting (protein kinase A and α-amylase) and antimicrobial potential of A. annua oil and of its constituents. Our results revealed that the beneficial properties of A. annua botanical drugs are not limited only to their antimalarial properties. Taking into account its relatively low toxicity, the usage of A. annua volatiles (at least of the herein studied population) does not represent a health risk.