Differential effect of soil and environment on metabolic expression of turmeric (Curcuma longa cv. Roma).

Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) is known for its uses in medicine, cosmetics, food flavouring and textile industries. The secondary metabolites of turmeric like essential oil, oleoresin and curcumin are important for its multipurpose uses. These traits of turmeric vary from place to place due to the influence of environment, soil and agro-climatic conditions. Here, we analyzed turmeric from different agroclimatic regions for influence of various factors on its growth and yield of important phytochemicals. A high curcumin yielding cultivar i.e., Roma was collected from high altitude research station, Koraput (HARS) and planted in nine agroclimatic regions of Odisha. Analysis of soil texture, pH, organic carbon, micro and macro nutrients were done from all the studied zones up to 2nd generation. Plants grown in their released station i.e., Eastern Ghat High Land showed 5% of curcumin and were taken as control. Plants grown in different agroclimatic zones showed a range of 1.4-5% of curcumin and 0.3-0.7% of rhizome essential oil and 0.3-1% of leaf essential oil content. Gas chromatography and mass spectra analysis showed tumerone and alpha phellandrene as the major compounds in all the zones with 10-20% variation. The present study will be immensely helpful for standardization and management of environmental and ecological factors for high phytochemical yield in turmeric plant.

Cell cycle inhibitory effects of leaf extract from Curcuma vamana M. Sabu & Mangaly on mitotically synchronous cultures of Physarum polycephalum Schw.

Leaf extracts of C. vamana, endemic to Kerala state in India, were found to inhibit cell cycle progression in synchronous cultures of P. polycephalum in a concentration and phase-specific manner. Crude alkaloid extract (CAE) elicited maximum cell cycle delays in comparison to soxhletted chloroform, acetone and aqueous extracts. Total alkaloid content of CAE was found to be 64.9 mg/g. CAE showed lowest DPPH radical scavenging activity. Other extracts with higher free radical scavenging activity exhibited lesser cell cycle inhibiting potential. Upto 21% decrease in nuclear DNA was observed in CAE treated samples. However, genotoxicity as evidenced by comet assay was not observed. The extracts were also found to be non-toxic to human RBCs at the highest concentration tested (750 µg/mL). CAE treatment completely suppressed a 63 kDa polypeptide with a concomitant, but weak induction of a 60 kDa polypeptide suggesting that these may be cell cycle related. CAE was found to possess potent antiproliferative activity against PBLs. The study clearly demonstrates the cell cycle inhibitory activity of C. vamana leaf extracts, with CAE being the most potent of them.

Treatment of Bothrops alternatus envenomation by Curcuma longa and Calendula officinalis extracts and ar-turmerone

Investigou-se a eficácia do extrato de plantas no tratamento local do envenenamento botrópico. Veneno de serpentes Bothrops alternatus (1,25µg) diluído em 100µl de solução salina estéril foi inoculado (via intradérmica) entre as escápulas de 30 coelhos. Os animais foram divididos em seis grupos (tratamentos): grupo I: tratamento subcutâneo com extrato de Curcuma longa; grupo II: tratamento tópico com extrato hidroalcoólico de Curcuma longa; grupo III: tratamento tópico com ar-turmerone em vaselina; grupo IV: tratamento tópico com extrato metanólico de Curcuma longa; grupo V: tratamento tópico com pomada de Calendula officinalis e grupo VI: aplicação tópica de solução salina a 0,9 por cento (Controle). Os tratamentos foram realizados 30 minutos, 2h, 4h, 24h e 72h após a inoculação do veneno. Foram avaliados intensidade de edema local (com paquímetro), halo hemorrágico (régua com gabaritos circulares) e presença de necrose. Sete dias após a inoculação do veneno botrópico (168h) foi coletado sangue do coração, com e sem EDTA, para realização de hemograma, dosagem plasmática de fibrinogênio e dosagens séricas de proteína total, uréia e creatinina. Após as coletas de sangue, todos os animais foram anestesiados, sacrificados com inalação pelo éter etílico e necropsiados. Fragmentos de pele foram retirados para avaliação histopatológica. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o tratamento mais eficaz para inibição da evolução do edema, necrose e hemorragia local após envenenamento com Bothrops alternatus foi a aplicação tópica de ar-turmerone.

High frequency in vitro production of microrhizomes of Curcuma amada.

Microrhizomes were induced at the base of the in vitro derived shoots of Curcuma amada grown in the liquid MS medium supplemented with BA (5 mg/l), sucrose (80 g/l) and incubated under 16 hr photoperiod. They were produced year round in culture, harvested after 90 days of growth in medium, and could be used as seeds and germinated to plantlets showing normal growth.