Zingiber zerumbet Rhizome Essential Oil Induces Cytotoxicity, Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Jurkat Cells

Abstract

Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Roscoe ex Sm. is an important medicinal herb from the zingiberaceae family that has long been used as a folk medicine to treat a variety of diseases. In the present study, rhizome essential oil of Z. zerumbet (ZZREO) was examined through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS). Total 28 compounds were identified accounting 91.83% of the total oil. Zerumbone (71.93 ± 0.43%) was identified to be the predominant compound in ZZREO. Apart from zerumbone, camphene (4.01 ± 0.43%), α-humulene (3.83 ± 0.27%), germacrene B (2.38 ± 0.52%), elemol (2.02 ± 0.34%), camphor (1.57 ± 0.39 %) and eucalyptol (1.5 ± 0.29%) were found to be the other major constituents. ZZREO decreases the vitality of Jurkat (Acute T-cell leukaemia) cells in a concentration dependent manner, without damaging human PBMC according to the cytotoxic study. The inhibitory action of tested oil on Jurkat cells was noted at 24 and 48h with IC50 value of 36.37 ± 0.94 and 30.83 ± 0.82 μg/mL respectively. Annexin-FITC assay using flow cytometry showed that ZZREO induced apoptosis in jurkat cells. Similarly, cell cycle analysis by PI staining exhibited that it induces G2/M phase cell cycle attest in Jurkat cells. Additionally, DNA fragmentation analysis conformed the apoptosis exhibiting fragmented DNA of ZZREO treated Jurkat cells. ZZREO possesses substantial antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing activity against Jurkat cells, indicating that it could be employed as a therapeutic agent for acute T cell leukemia treatment and management.