Abstract
Curcuma longa (turmeric) has been used in Chinese traditional medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for many years. Methods: The leaf essential oil of C. longa from southern Nigeria was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil was screened for in vitro antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities. The major components in C. longa leaf oil were ar-turmerone (63.4%), α-turmerone (13.7%), and β-turmerone (12.6%). A cluster analysis has revealed this to be a new essential oil chemotype of C. longa. The leaf oil showed notable antibacterial activity to Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, antifungal activity to Aspergillus niger, and cytotoxic activity to Hs 578T (breast tumor) and PC-3 (prostate tumor) cells. The ar-turmerone-rich leaf essential oil of C. longa from Nigeria has shown potent biological activity and therapeutic promise.
Highlights
This paper reports the chemical constitution of the leaf essential oil of C. longa grown in the southern part of Nigeria and its antimicrobial effects and anti-neoplastic potential
The essential oil was subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis on an Agilent system consisting of a model 6890 gas chromatograph, a model 5973 mass selective detector (MSD), and an Agilent ChemStation data system
A cluster analysis of 20 published essential oil compositions in addition to the leaf oil in this present study shows seven different chemotypes: (1) an ar-turmerone-rich chemotype, represented by the leaf oil in this study; (2) a cluster dominated by α-phellandrene, represented by 11 samples; (3) a terpinolene-rich chemotype; (4) a β-sesquiphellandrene-rich chemotype; (5) a p-cymene-rich chemotype; (6) a 1,8-cineole chemotype, and
Summary
The rhizome is the source of turmeric, which has use as a condiment and coloring agent in medicines, confectionery and curry powder [1]. Research has shown that the quantitative essential oil composition is widely influenced by the genotype, ontogenic development, and environmental and growing conditions [27,28,29]. It implies the possibility of different medicinal uses of the same plant species grown in different regions [30]. This paper reports the chemical constitution of the leaf essential oil of C. longa grown in the southern part of Nigeria and its antimicrobial effects and anti-neoplastic potential
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