Essential Oil Composition, α-Amylase Inhibition and Antiglycation Potential of Curcuma aromatica Salisb

Abstract

Curcuma aromatica Salisb. is an aromatic medicinal plant belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. In the present study essential oil from the rhizome of C. aromatica analyzed by GC-MS. The major constituents in the oil were xanthorrhizol (26.3 %) followed by ar-curcumene (19.5 %) and di-epi-alpha-cedrene (16.5 %). The rhizome extracted sequentially with different solvents (hexane, dichloromethane and methanol) and evaluated its antioxidant activity. The dichloromethane extract showed maximum antioxidant potential and remarkable free radical quenching property. The solvent extracts were also screened for their antidiabetic activity via inhibition of α-amylase, and antiglycation assays. In α-amylase inhibition and antiglycation studies, dichloromethane extract got maximum activity with an IC₅₀ value of 8.97±0.3 µg/ml and (561.37±2 µg/ml) respectively compared to other extracts. These significant activities of DCM were relevant parameters in the management of type 2 diabetes. The better activity of dichloromethane extract might be due to the high amount of phenolic compounds (10.9 %) and flavonoids (6.7 %) present in it.