EO Composition
Hydrodistillation of the rhizomes of the three Curcuma species all produced pale-yellow oils. The yields of the obtained EOs from C. rhabdota, C. thorelii, and C. petiolata were 0.19%, 0.22%, and 0.17% (w/w), respectively, calculated on a fresh weight basis. The chemical compositions of these EOs are given in Table 1.
In general, the C. rhabdota rhizome EO was rich in monoterpene (50.4%) and sesquiterpene (29.3%) hydrocarbons, the C. thorelii rhizome EO was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes (44.0%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (37.8%), while the rhizome EO of C. petiolata showed no significant difference between the compound groups.
The analytical results showed the identification of 63, 47, and 50 principal constituents, making a total of 97.1%, 98.0%, and 95.6% of the EOs of C. rhabdota, C. thorelii, and C. petiolata, respectively (Table 1). 3-Carene (16.6%), camphene (9.8%), α-copaene (7.4%), γ-terpinene (7.3%), camphor (5.9%), and β-curcumene (5.7%) were the main components of C. rhabdota rhizome EO. Xanthorrhizol (40.7%), β-curcumene (20.7%), and α-curcumene (8.9%) were the principal compounds of the EO of C. thorelii rhizomes, and camphene (17.0%), (E)-β-elemenone (16.8%), (E)-β-farnesene (13.6%), germacrone (8.9%), 1,8-cineole (7.2%), and camphor (6.0%) were identified as the major constituents of the EO of C. petiolata rhizome. Remarkably, the EOs of C. rhabdota and C. petiolata had camphene and camphor as the same major components, while β-curcumene was found as the major component in both C. rhabdota and C. thorelii EOs.
A comparison of these results with those in the literature showed that there are some differences among the C. rhabdota EOs that have been studied. Specifically, three main constituents of the EO of this plant from Bangkok, Thailand were germacrone (24.4%), butanoic acid butyl ester (14.2%), and butanoic acid-1-methylpropyl ester (8.8%).
24
In another study, 3-carene and copaene were identified as two major compounds in the rhizome EO of this plant from Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.
25
For C. petiolata, previous results showed marked differences in the quality and quantity of chemical compositions in which β-farnesene (74.8%) and 2-methyl-5-pentanol (84.0%) were revealed to be dominant.26,27 In particular, xanthorrhizol in C. xanthorrhiza rhizomes
28
was found in C. thorelii rhizomes, but was absent from the rhizomes of C. rhabdota and C. petiolata. Additionally, α-curcumene and β-curcumene were found in C. rhabdota and C. thorelii, which is similar to the reported data for other Curcuma species (eg Curcuma amada and Curcuma aromatica29,30). However, these two compounds were not found in the EO of C. petiolata. These results showed that the variability in the chemical constituents of the EOs of Curcuma species depends on different species, different geographical locations, and different extraction methods leading to the variability of EO analytical results.
Antimicrobial Activity Evaluation
The results of the study of the antimicrobial activity of the EOs of the rhizomes of C. rhabdota, C. thorelii, and C. petiolata are presented in Table 2.
In general, the results showed that C. thorelii rhizome EO showed higher potential antimicrobial activities than those of C. petiolata and C. rhabdota EO against all investigated strains, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Specifically, the rhizome EO of C. thorelii showed strong antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus) with MIC values of 2 μg/mL and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica), with MIC values of 2-8 μg/mL. The potential antibacterial activity of C. petiolata rhizome EO against E. faecalis was observed with a MIC value of 8 µg/mL, while the values against B. cereus, S. aureus, S. enterica, and E. coli were only 16 µg/mL. Similarly, C. rhabdota rhizome EO was only shown to possess moderate activity against the same bacterial strains with MIC values in the range of 16-32 μg/mL. Compared with the inhibitory effects of the positive controls on those bacteria, C. thorelii showed significantly stronger activity than kanamycin (MIC values of 4-128 μg/mL) and tetracycline (MIC values of 4-64 μg/mL), while C. petiolata and C. rhabdota possessed comparable antimicrobial activities to these antibiotics. Considering P. aeruginosa, all EOs tested exhibited weak antibacterial activity with a MIC value of 128 μg/mL, whereas kanamycin still effectively inhibited this strain, with a MIC of 64 µg/mL. Compared with some previous studies, the antimicrobial activities of C. thorelii, C. petiolata, and C. rhabdota were markedly pronounced. The MIC value of the EO from Euphorbia helioscopia against S. aureus, E. faecalis, and E. coli was 31.25 μg/mL.
31
In another study, the EO from Meistera sudae Šída f. & Škorničk leaf, a Vietnamese Zingiberaceae species, inhibited Bacillus subtilis and S. aureus, with the same MIC value of 25 µg/mL.
32
In recent research, EOs from the leaves of Fokienia hodginsii and Amentotaxus argotaenia strongly inhibited E. faecalis and B. cereus, with MIC values ranging from 32 to 64 µg/mL.
33
For anti-yeast activity, the EO samples also showed moderate to strong effects against Candida albicans. Specifically, the strongest yeast inhibitory effect was found for C. thorelii rhizome EO (MIC = 2 µg/mL), followed by C. petiolata and C. rhabdota rhizome EOs, with a MIC value of 16 μg/mL.
This finding might be valuable because many EOs are known to inhibit significantly the cell wall of only Gram-positive bacteria.
34
Akarchariya et al demonstrated that EOs from other Curcuma rhizomes, such as Curcuma aeruginosa, Curcuma glans, and Curcuma cf. xanthorrhiza, also exhibited good antibacterial activities.
35
The antimicrobial and other bioactivities of the Curcuma genus have been summarized recently.
9
In a previous study, β-curcumene was identified as a characteristic chemical component of the EOs of the Curcuma genus, along with other sesquiterpenes, such as ar-turmerone, α-curcumene, and xanthorrhizol.
9
To date, there have been limited studies on the bioactivities of β-curcumene. However, the EO of C. thorelii rhizomes displayed potential antimicrobial activities and β-curcumene formed 20.7% of the total content, which suggested that the olefinic sesquiterpene might possess promising antimicrobial activities. Xanthorrhizol, a bisabolene-type aromatic sesquiterpene, is the most abundant compound in the EO of C. xanthorrhiza. Recently, xanthorrhizol has become a compound of interest in the pharmacological field, in terms of anti-cancer and antimicrobial activities. The aromatic sesquiterpene exhibited strong antimicrobial effects against S. aureus, E. coli, and Propionibacterium acnes, which explained the strong antimicrobial effects of C. thorelii rhizome EO, which contained more than 40% of xanthorrhizol.
36
Xanthorrhizol was also shown to have potential anticancer properties with inhibitory effects on various cancer cells. Xanthorrhizol also exhibited synergistic effects with curcumin and tamoxifen on cancer cell growth inhibition.37,38 3-Carene is a bicyclic monoterpene, which can be commonly found in Pinus and pepper volatile oils. The compound had strong antibacterial activity against Brochothrix thermosphacta and Pseudomonas fluorescens by damaging cellular membranes, disrupting DNA structure, and interfering with cellular functions.
39
Camphene is a volatile compound commonly found in various aromatic plants, including Thymus, Origanum, and Salvia genera. Camphene was found to exhibit antimicrobial activities against various bacterial and fungal strains. This bicyclic monoterpene was also studied for other pharmacological activities, including antiviral, anti-leishmanial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, hypolipidemic, and anti-cancer activities.
40
In particular, previous studies demonstrated that 1,8-cineole has antinociceptive, vasodilator, bronchodilator, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, antibacterial, antimycotic, and antitumorigenic activities.
41
Camphor can be a promising agent for potential antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.
42
Currently, further studies are needed on these herbs because of their antimicrobial and other biological effects. Based on that scientific basis, the orientation continues for the rational exploitation and use as well as the development of new functional foods and new drugs.