Rhizome Oil Research Articles

Chemical composition and antioxidant activities of essential oil of Hedychium greenii and Hedychium gracile from India

The chemical constituents of the essential oils hydrodistilled from rhizome parts of Hedychium greenii W.W. Sm. and Hedychium gracile Roxb, of family Zingiberaceae, growing in India, were analysed for the first time by GC-FID and GC-MS, respectively. A total of 30 and 29 components representing 99.62 and 96.74% of the total oil were identified in the essential oils of H. greenii and H. gracile, respectively. The major components of H. greenii were bornyl acetate (31.32%), α-pinene (14.49%), camphene (12.81%) and limonene (10.55%), whereas H. gracile was dominated by β-pinene (25.24%), γ-terpinene (24.62%), terpinen-4-ol (14.87%) and 1,8-cineole (7.51%). Essential oils were assessed for antioxidant potential using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assay. H. greenii oil exhibited stronger antioxidant potential as compared to H. gracile oil and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Thus, H. greenii rhizome oil has the potential to be used as an alternative source of antioxidant.

Effects of drug-oil properties on fabrication of drug nanocrystalline self-stabilizied Pickering emulsions

To investigate the effects of drug and oil properties on the formation and stability of drug nanocrystalline self-stabilizied Pickering emulsions (NSSPE). Three insoluble Chinese medicine components (puerarin, tanshinone ⅡA and ferulic acid) were selected as model drugs, and Capmul C8, Fabrafil M 1944 CS, isopropyl myristate, Pzechwan Lovage Rhizome oil, and olive oil were used as oil phase. NSSPEs were developed by high pressure homogenization method and were evaluated for their appearance, centrifugal stability, droplet size and drug content changes in emulsion layer after storing at room temperature for 14 d. Then the properties of the oil (surface tension and viscosity) and properties of the drugs (surface energy, oil-water partition coefficient, size and Zeta potential of nanocrystalline and drug-water-oil contact angle) on the formation and stability of NSSPE were analyzed. The emulsification property and stability of five samples prepared with ferulic acid nanocrystals and different oils were significantly lower than those of puerarin and tanshinone ⅡA; the particle size of ferulic acid nanocrystals was 3.90 μm, extremely higher than 305 nm of puerarin and 406 nm of tanshinone ⅡA (P<0.05); the zeta potential of ferulic acid nanocrystals was -0.018 0 mV, significantly lower than －29.1 mV of puerarin and -42.6 mV of tanshinone ⅡA (P<0.05). Three samples prepared with isopropyl myristate and different drugs were not emulsions and the viscosity of isopropyl myristate was 4.67 mPa•s, significantly lower than that of the other oils (P<0.01). Puerarin-NSSPEs prepared with Pzechwan Lovage Rhizome oil showed best emulsification property and stability; the contact angle of puerarin in Pzechwan Lovage Rhizome oil-water was 69.7°, close to 90°, significantly higher than other contact angles. NSSPEs made by tanshinone ⅡA-Capmul C8-water, tanshinone ⅡA-Labrafil M 1944 CS-water showed highest stability, with a contact angle of 99.2° and 112° respectively, more close to 90° than other oils. The results indicated that viscosity, size and Zeta potential of nanocrystalline and three-phase contact angle had great influence on the formation and stability of NSSPE; surface tension of oil, surface energy of drug and oil-water partition coefficient may not be related to the construction of NSSPE.

Chemical profiling and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb., Curcuma glans K. Larsen & J. Mood and Curcuma cf. xanthorrhiza Roxb. collected in Thailand

ObjectiveTo investigate chemical constituents and new antimicrobial agents among essential oils from the rhizomes of Curcuma aeruginosa (C. aeruginosa) Roxb., Curcuma glans K. Larsen & J. Mood and Curcuma cf. xanthorrhiza Roxb. MethodsThe essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Agar-well diffusion assay was used to study the anti-microbial activity and also broth-micro dilution techniques were examined for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against four bacterial strains and yeast. ResultsThe gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy analysis showed monoterpenes predominantly (88.53%) in the rhizome oil of Curcuma cf. xanthorrhiza. Sesquiterpenes (50.10%) was the most abundant component in the essential oil of C. glans, while monoterpenes (45.55%) and sesquiterpenes (45.81%) were found in C. aeruginosa with a significant amount. The major components of C. aeruginosa were characterized as camphor (29.39%) and germacrone (21.21%). Germacrone (15.76%), β-pinene (9.97%) and camphor (9.96%) were found as major compounds in the rhizome oils of C. glans while α-terpinolene (24.86%) and p-cymen-7-ol (12.17%) were found as major compositions in Curcuma cf. xanthorrhiza. The essential oils were tested against four bacterial strains and yeast. As a result, the rhizome oil of C. aeruginosa exhibited potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus [inhibition zone (21.94 ± 0.24) mm, MIC 125 μg/mL], Bacillus cereus [inhibition zone (20.83 ± 0.36) mm, MIC 125 μg/mL], and Candida albicans [inhibition zone (11.60 ± 0.30) mm, MIC 250 μg/mL]. ConclusionsThe essential oils from three Curcuma species possessed greater activity against the gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) than gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The results suggest that the essential oils from the fresh rhizome of Curcuma spp. might be a potential source of natural antimicrobial substances.

Identification of the New High Oil and Rhizome Yielding Variety of Kaempferia galanga (Jor Lab K-1): A Highly Important Indigenous Medicinal Plants of North East India

Kaempferia galanga is very important medicinal and aromatic plants of throughout Asia. It is used in skin diseases, piles, cough, fever, epilepsy, spleen disorders, wounds, asthma and rheumatism; and also useful in digestion. Our investigation objective was to identify the high herbage and high essential oil genotypes. The thirty-five germplasm were evaluated during the year 2013–14. After two years of evaluation high oil and rhizome yielding genotype of K. Galanga was identified and named “Jor Lab K-1″ which was propagated through vegetative means using the rhizome as explant. This elite new genotype was evaluated in four different locations of North East India during the year, 2015 and 2016. The identified germplasm has shown 35 percent superiority over the check variety with rhizome herbage yield of 7.156 tons/ha and dry rhizome recovery of 25 % from fresh rhizomes and the average 2.38 % essential oil in dry rhizome. The essential oil of the dry rhizome, obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed by GC-MS. The major components found were Ethyl trans-cinnamate (31.12 %), Ethyl trans-p-methoxycinnamate (14.3 %), 1,8-Cineole (10.57 %), Delta-3-Carene (5.12 %) and n-pentadecane (4.8 %).

Aceite esencial de cúrcuma (Curcuma longa L.) como agente antifúngico en recubrimientos comestibles aplicados a zapallo (Cucurbita maxima) mínimamente procesado

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), is a plant of Asian origin, whose volatile compounds are interested in its antimicrobial effect. Different studies have reported the incorporation of essential oils in edible coatings applied to vegetables for their conservation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the essential oil of turmeric rhizomes as antifungal agent in an edible coating applied in minimally processed squash. The antifungal effect on Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. was evaluated in vitro. Subsequently, an edible coating based on achira starch (Canna indica L.) was applied containing turmeric essential oil in minimally processed squash. Quality parameters (pH, acidity, firmness, weight loss, β-carotene content and color) were evaluated at storage days 0, 4, 8, 12 and 15 at temperatures of 6±2°C. The results indicated that turmeric oil showed high inhibition on Cladosporium sp. (41.6%) and Penicillium sp. (60.3%). The application of the edible coating presented better results, in firmness (78.73 N), content of β-carotene (6,123 mg.kg‑1) and color parameters. Showing that the coating treatment maintained the quality of the minimally processed pumpkin for 15 days. These results demonstrate the potential of the essential oil of turmeric rhizomes as a natural preservative in the development of edible coatings.

Composition and bioactivity assessment of essential oils of Curcuma longa L. collected in China

Curcuma longa L. rhizomes collected from 20 different habitats in China are used to analyze yield, composition and bioactivity of essential oils extracted from them. The yield of the 20 essential oils vary from 4.03 to 5.27% depending on the habitat where they were collected. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), 81 components are identified in the 20 essential oils, and their major compounds are ar-turmerone (0.92–42.85%), β-turmerone (5.13–42.54%), α-zingiberene (0.25–25.05%), ar-curcumene (1.21–15.70%) and β-sesquiphellandrene (0.05–14.88%). The essential oils of rhizomes collected from different habitats exhibit different antimicrobial activities, and the essential oils from Guangxi have generally better activities. These essential oils also show different DPPH (IC50, 4.37–11.59μg/mL) and ABTS (IC50, 4.21–13.25μg/mL) radical-scavenging activities, being most of them more effective than Trolox C (IC50, 10.72 and 11.42μg/mL). They also exhibit significantly different cytotoxicity against B16 cells (IC50, 13.96–135.97μg/mL) and LNCaP cell (IC50, 19.63–127.81μg/mL), and essential oils from Luchuan in Guangxi have the highest cytotoxicity. Some essential oils show outstanding anti-inflammatory activities by markedly down-regulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, in vivo. Therefore, Curcuma longa L. rhizome, one of the popular traditional Chinese medicines with excellent bioactivities, can be more rationally utilized based on their chemical composition and bioactivity in the further.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of essential oils from Etlingera sayapensis A.D. Poulsen & Ibrahim.

To report the chemical composition and bioactivity (including antioxidant and antimicrobial activity) of essential oils from the rhizomes, stems, and leaves of Etlingera sayapensis (E.sayapensis) A.D. Poulsen & Ibrahim for the first time. First, the essential oils were obtained using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Then, the essential oils compositions were identified by chromatography methods including GC-FID and GC-MS. For the next step, DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), β-carotene bleaching (BCB), and ferrous ion chelating ability (FIC) were chosen to evaluate the essential oils antioxidant activity. Finally, disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC) was applied to investigate antimicrobial activity of the rhizomes and leaves oils of E.sayapensis against 18 microorganisms. All of the oils contained oxygenated monoterpenes (leaves: 74.18%, stems: 75.60%, and rhizome: 54.61%), The essential oil obtained from leaves contained high amount of carvone (21.38%), cis-carveol (13.49%); The rhizomes oil was rich in linalool formate (25.47%), eugenol (11.84%); and the stems oil was dominated by α-terpineol (39.86%), linalool formate (30.55%). The leaves oil represented the highest ability in all of the antioxidant activity tests. For antimicrobial activity, the rhizome oil presented more active when compared to leaves oil against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus mirabilis, Shigella sonnei, Serratia marcescens, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. The most components of the essential oils belong to oxygenated monoterpenes. Linalool formate, carvone, and α-terpineol are found as the most abundant compounds in the oils of the different parts of E.sayapensis. The rhizomes oil can prevent the growth of wide spectrum microorganisms; however, the oils are not highly potent in antioxidant assays.

Chemical Constituents and Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activities of Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe Oils from Malaysia and Indonesia

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the rhizomes of Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe collected from Malaysia and Indonesia were analyzed by capillary GC and GC-MS. Both the oils were principally sesquiterpenic in nature and were characterized by zerumbone (17.14% and 12.07%, respectively). Camphor (17.56% and 19.69%, respectively) was also abundant in both oils. The cytotoxic effects of both the oils on human breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231), lung (A549 and SK-LU-1) and cervical (HeLa S3 and SiHa) cancer cell lines were examined using the MTT assay. The Malaysian C. zedoaria rhizome oil was found to be cytotoxic against the MCF-7, SK-LU-1, HeLa S3 and SiHa cell lines, with IC50 values being less than 10 μg/mL. Our findings support the use of the Malaysian C. zedoaria rhizome oil as a potential chemopreventive agent towards a wide spectrum of cancer in particular cervical cancer.

Evaluation of cytotoxicity of leaf and rhizome extracts of &lt;em&gt;Alpinia calcarata&lt;/em&gt; rosc. against human lung nci-h460 and cervical hela cancer cell lines

The cytotoxicty of Alpinia calcarata rhizome and leaf extracts, fractions and essential oils were evaluated in vitro against human lung NCI-H460 and cervical HeLa cancer cell lines using sulphorhodamine-B assay. Although an array of bioactivities of A. calcarata rhizome have been reported previously, no attempt has been made to study the cytotoxicity of rhizome in human lung NCI-H460 and cervical HeLa cancer cell lines. In the present study, both the leaf and rhizome extracts (ethanolic and water) along with their fractions (hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, butanol and water) and essential oils against human lung (NCI-H460) and human cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines were investigated. Fresh rhizomes and leaves of Alpinia calcarata, collected from Western Province of Sri Lanka were used to obtain the extracts. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation. All the samples were stored at 4 °C. The extracts, fractions and essential oils demonstrated a varying degree of growth inhibition against NCI-H460 cell line. Several fractions showed high growth inhibitory activity (4-94%). The growth inhibition order was, rhizome water extract (107.7%) &lt; rhizome ethanolic extract (68.2%) &lt; leaf ethanolic extract (-25.1%) &lt; leaf water extract (-72.3%) &lt; rhizome oil (-93.0%) &lt; leaf oil (-94.3%). Dichloromethane fraction of leaf ethanolic extract (-33.8%) showed the most promising inhibition at GI50: 30.6 μg/mL on NCI-H460. For HeLa cells, the ethyl acetate (-0.5%), butanol (-5.0%) and aqueous fractions (-18.1%) of rhizome water extract showed high growth inhibitions. The potency of the growth inhibition was, rhizome ethanolic extract (76.56%) &lt; rhizome water extract (16.65%) &lt; leaf oil (15.88%) &lt; rhizome oil (-49.34%). Efficacy and mechanisms of action in various normal and cancer cell models coupled with bioassay-guided purification to identify active anticancer compound(s) from the crude extract will be useful.

Physicochemical characterization of medicinal essential oil made obtained from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale (ginger), grown in San Carlos, Costa Rica, in order to standardize future hydroponic cultivations of the plant

Introduction: Ginger is a medicinal plant native to India. Has been reported their potential use in cosmetics, medicines and natural products, however depending on crop conditions the medicinal components of the different parts of the plant not only changes in concentration but in its composition, this modifies its medicinal action. The aim of this study was to characterize by physicochemical methods the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from rhizomes of Zingiber officinale grown in the area of San Carlos, Costa Rica in order to standardize future hydroponic cultivations of the plant and validate their subsequent pharmacological or cosmetic effects. Materials and methods: the rhizomes of the plant were used, the active principles were extracted by ethanolic extraction with Soxleth and distillation by entrainment with vapor, analysis was performed by using a qualitative phytochemical profile for the ethanolic extract, and the composition of the essential oil was studied by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS). Results and Conclusions. The presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins and triterpenes in the ethanolic extract was qualitatively determined. In characterizing the essential oil by GC-MS were identified as lead compounds the geranialdehyde (27.42%), neral (20.11%), 1.8-cineole (13.35%), camphene (4.65%) and E-geraniol (3.92%). The composition obtained was compared with the composition reported in the literature, obtaining a clear difference with those reported in other studies, allowing predicting an antimicrobial behavior unlike most traditional essential oils of the rhizomes.

Chemical compositions, antioxidative, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. essential oils

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical components, antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities of essential oils from Curcuma aromatica Salisb. rhizomes collected from 12 different habitats in China. The chemical composition analysis of the 12 essential oils by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC–MS) led to the identification of 78 components, and the dominant compounds were 8,9-dehydro-9-formyl-cycloisolongifolene (2.66–36.83%), germacrone (4.31–16.53%), ar-turmerone (2.52–17.69%), turmerone (2.62–18.38%), ermanthin (0.75–13.26%), β-sesquiphyllandrene (0.33–11.32%) and ar-curcumene (0.29–10.52%). Furthermore, the 12 essential oils displayed different 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities (IC50, 1.57–21.36μg/ml), and most of them were superior to Trolox C (IC50, 8.82μg/ml). Their antimicrobial activities against fungus were far higher than against bacteria, and essential oils of rhizomes collected from Guangxi, Zhejiang or Sichuan showed the better activities against different microorganisms. They also exhibited antitumor activities (IC50, 30.66–259.62μg/ml) against melanoma cells (B16) and prostate cancer cells (LNCaP), and anti-inflammatory action by significantly down-regulating expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) in vivo. On the whole, the compositions and bioactivities of these essential oils were different from each other. Hence, it is hoped that, from these results, C. aromatica rhizomes from different habitats should be used more rationally and effectively as natural pharmaceutical, culinary and cosmetic additives in the future.

Composition, antibacterial and anti-oxidant potentials of the essential oil of Hedychium matthewii

Essential oils are known for their medicinal value since time immemorial and continue to be of vital importance until the present day. The present study describes the composition, antibacterial and anti-oxidant potential of rhizome oil of Hedychium matthewii. Thirty-five constituents of the oil were identified to account for 82.7%, of which 85.7% was monoterpes and the rest were sesquiterpnes. Most of the major constituents were alcohols and linalool was the prominent one (45.7%). The antibacterial assay showed the bactericidal effect of the essential oil and the most susceptible organism was Streptococcus hemolyticus with a zone of inhibition of 33.8 ± 1.7 mm. The reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging activity of the essential oil was far exceeding the reference compound ascorbic acid and it could be the sign of the potential anti-oxidant power of the oil isolated. The present study also revealed the prospective of H. matthewii as a new natural source of linalool, which has medicinal and various industrial applications.

Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Volatile Constituents from Different Parts of Aframomum danielli (Hook) K. Schum.

Background: Aframomum danielli is used in ethno-medicine for the treatment of several ailments and as a traditional food spice. Methods: The hydro-distilled leaf, stem, seed, rhizome and pod volatile oils of A. danielli were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Free radical scavenging capacity of the volatile oils was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Results: Thirty-nine (39) volatile compounds were identified in the oils of A. danielli, accounting for 85.33 to 96.03% of the total oil composition. The leaf, stem, rhizome and pod volatile oils were dominant in β-pinene (30.94–47.55%), while the seed oil contained a high amount of 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (53.44%). The seed oil showed higher radical inhibitory activity in the DPPH assay (IC50 value, 45.5 µg/mL) and the rhizome oil was the most effective in the FRAP assay. Conclusions: The characterization of the leaf, stem, rhizome and pod volatile oils of A. danielli is reported for the first time. A. danielli seed and rhizome oils elicit promise as potential plant resource and warrant further biological exploitation.

Chemical and Biological Diversity of the Leaf and Rhizome Volatiles of Acorus calamus L. from Turkey

Two different isolation techniques, conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and micro-steam distillation-solid-phase microextraction (MSD-SPME), have been used to analyze the volatile constituents from the leaves and rhizomes of Acorus calamus L. by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In all the samples studied, phenylpropanoids (16.9-35.3 %) predominated by β-asarone (15.3-16.3 % in rhizomes, 23.4-31.7 % in leaves) were the main constituent. In addition to phenylpropanoids, the acorane type sesquiterpene acorenone B (7.4-16.4 %) and elemene-type sesquiterpenes, epi-isoshyobunone (3.3-7.3 %) and shyobunone (1.5-4.6 %) were detected among the major volatile constituents in the rhizomes. The monoterpenes were represented by camphor (7.5-13.9 %) and camphene (6.1-7.7 %). In the leaf, myrcene (0.3-7.1 %), limonene (1.0-5.6 %), (Z)-β-ocimene (2.9-6.1 %) were among the major constituents. Qualitative difference of the volatiles composition in the rhizomes and leaves are discussed as well as of the volatiles obtained by HD and MSD-SPME techniques are discussed. Biological activity tests resulted in moderate anti-acetylcholinesterase effect and significant cupric reducing antioxidant potential of the leaf oil, while the rhizome oil demonstrated relatively lower effects.

Study of the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria of the rhizome oil of Hedychium Spicatum (Kapoor Kacchri)

Study of the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria of the rhizome oil of Hedychium Spicatum (Kapoor Kacchri)

Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils of Laser Trilobum Rhizomes and Fruits

The compositions of hydrodistillated essential oils of Laser trilobum (L.) Borkh. rhizomes and fruits from Serbia, were investigated using GC and GC/MS. In the dark-blue rhizome oil forty-six compounds (93.1% of the total oil) were identified, with a-pinene (31.5%), y-terpinene (9.0%), p-cymene (7.9%), β-pinene (6.1%) and 1,4-dimethylazalene (6.0%) as the major components. In the colorless fruits oil, twenty components (96.8% of the total oil) were identified, and the main constituents were limonene (51.6%) and perillaldehyde (26.8%). The antimidrobial activity of the oils was tested using the broth microdilution method against nine bacterial and two fungal strains. The oils revealed significant antimicrobial effect, mainly better than that of thymol, used as a reference compound. The strongest activity was recorded for the rhizome oil against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans (MICs=25 μg/mL), and the fruit oil against C. albicans ATCC 10259 (MIC=12.5 μg/mL).

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil from leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma angustifolia Roxb

The essential oil extracted from rhizome and leaf of Curcuma angustifolia Roxb. (Zingiberaceae) was characterised by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 32 and 35 identified constituents, comprising 92.6% and 92% of total leaf and rhizome oil, respectively. Curzerenone (33.2%), 14-hydroxy-δ-cadinene (18.6%) and γ-eudesmol acetate (7.3%) were the main components in leaf oil. In rhizome oil, curzerenone (72.6%), camphor (3.3%) and germacrone (3.3%) were found to be the major constituents. Antioxidant capacities of oil were assessed by various methods, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and reducing power ability (RPA). Based on the results, the leaf oil showed more antioxidant potential as compared to rhizome oil and reference standards (ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)). Thus, the leaf essential oil of C. angustifolia can be used as an alternative source of natural antioxidant.

Chemometric Profile of Curcuma longa L. Towards Standardization of Factors for High Essential Oil Yield and Quality

The quality of an herbal drug is indomitable by its important secondary metabolites. The secondary metabolites present in turmeric plant vary in quantity and phyto-constituent proportion at different growing locations. In spite of ever increasing demand of turmeric essential oil it is still not clear how the soil nutrients and environmental factors influence the quality of turmeric essential oil. The present work was conducted by cultivating a high yielding turmeric cultivar i.e., Roma at 9 different agroclimatic zones to analyse the effect of soil nutrients and environmental factors on its essential oil production and quality. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis showed wide variation in quality of leaf and rhizome essential oil across all the studied zones. Leaf and rhizome essential oil yield at different experimental zones varied from 0.37 to 1 and 0.39 to 0.7%, respectively. In leaf oil alpha phellandrene content varied from 39 to 82.35% and in rhizome oil tumerone it varied from 12.6 to 71%. Phosphorous content was the most sensitive factor for leaf and rhizome essential oil yield. Nitrogen and organic carbon were the key factors for tumerone content. Euclidian distance matrix analysis showed highest distance coefficient between zone 2 and zone 3 for leaf oil (0.92) and zone 7 and zone 9 for rhizome oil (0.91). The result suggests that essential oil yield and quality in turmeric are greatly controlled by environmental factors and soil nutrients. Thus, yield with volatile constituents can be improved through selection of growing location and proper nutrient management.

Chemical composition, cytotoxicity and insecticidal activities of Acorus calamus accessions from the western Himalayas

Twenty one accessions of Acorus calamus were evaluated for essential oil composition and biological activities during 2009–2014. Essential oil from fresh rhizomes of A. calamus was obtained by hydro–distillation method, and analyzed by GC–FID and GC–MS. The essential oil yield ranged from 1.10±0.28 to 2.50±0.01%. β-asarone, shyobunone and α-asarone were the major constituents in the rhizome oil. Accession IHBT/AC/16 recorded the lowest β-asarone content (31.56%) and IHBT/AC/1 recorded the highest (91.27%). Two accessions, viz., IHBT/AC/7 and IHBT/AC/16, representing triploid and diploid accessions that contain high and low β-asarone content, respectively, were tested for biological activities. The cytotoxicity of these accessions was evaluated against human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT–29), human epidermoid carcinoma (KB) and human cervical cancer (SiHa) cells at 24, 48 and 72h. Both accessions at 300μg/mL and 72h showed the highest activity against all the tumoral cells. The essential oils of two accessions showed promising larvicidal activities against 2nd instar larvae of Spodoptera litura and Plutella xylostella. However, P. xylostella larvae were more susceptible than the S. litura larvae, and essential oils of accession IHBT/AC/7 were more toxic than accession IHBT/AC/16.

Cedrol, a malaria mosquito oviposition attractant is produced by fungi isolated from rhizomes of the grass Cyperus rotundus.

BackgroundCedrol, a sesquiterpene alcohol, is the first identified oviposition attractant for African malaria vectors. Finding the natural source of this compound might help to elucidate why Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis prefer to lay eggs in habitats containing it. Previous studies suggest that cedrol may be a fungal metabolite and the essential oil of grass rhizomes have been described to contain a high amount of different sesquiterpenes.ResultsRhizomes of the grass Cyperus rotundus were collected in a natural malaria mosquito breeding site. Two fungi were isolated from an aqueous infusion with these rhizomes. They were identified as Fusarium falciforme and a species in the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Volatile compounds were collected from the headspace above fungal cultures on Tenax traps which were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS). Cedrol and a cedrol isomer were detected in the headspace above the F. fujikuroi culture, while only cedrol was detected above the F. falciforme culture.ConclusionCedrol an oviposition attractant for African malaria vectors is produced by two fungi species isolated from grass rhizomes collected from a natural mosquito breeding site.