Antiproliferative Activities of Lesser Galangal (Alpinia officinarum Hance Jam1), Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), and Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) Against Acute Monocytic Leukemia

Abstract

Acute monocytic leukemia (AML M5 or AMoL) is one of the several types of leukemia that are still awaiting cures. The use of chemotherapy for cancer management can be harmful to normal cells in the vicinity of the target leukemia cells. This study assessed the potency of the extracts from lesser galangal, turmeric, and ginger against AML M5 to use the suitable fractions in neutraceuticals. Aqueous and organic solvent extracts from the leaves and rhizomes of lesser galangal and turmeric, and from the rhizomes only of ginger were examined for their antiproliferative activities against THP-1 AMoL cells in vitro. Lesser galangal leaf extracts in organic solvents of methanol, chloroform, and dichloromethane maintained distinctive antiproliferative activities over a 48-h period. The turmeric leaf and rhizome extracts and ginger rhizome extracts in methanol also showed distinctive anticancer activities. The lesser galangal leaf methanol extract was subsequently separated into 13, and then 18 fractions using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fractions 9 and 16, respectively, showed the greatest antiproliferative activities. These results indicate that the use of plant extracts might be a safer approach to finding a lasting cure for AMoL. Further investigations will be required to establish the discriminatory tolerance of normal cells to these extracts, and to identify the compounds in these extracts that possess the antiproliferative activities.

A review on the pharmacological activities and phytochemicals of Alpinia officinarum (Galangal) extracts derived from bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation

“…[35] In another study on the antiproliferative activity on A. officinarum leaf and rhizome, the 100% methanol extracts at a concentration of 2 mg/ml were tested against the AMoL cell line THP-1 and were reported to have significantly higher anti-proliferative activity for the leaf extract compared to the rhizome extract, with the solvent 100% methanol considered to be the least toxic extraction solvent on the cell culture, among other extraction solvents (hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, acetone and aqueous), when tested in vitro against the cell culture. [36] Chang et al . prepared the methanol extract of A. officinarum dried rhizomes by ultrasonic extraction, which has demonstrated good antioxidant activity based on the scavenging effect on DPPH assay.…”

“…However, when the A. officinarum leaf extract was diluted to a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml, its antiproliferative activity was reduced dramatically. [36]…”

Diarylheptanoids from lesser galangal suppress human colon cancer cell growth through modulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

“…Lesser galangal has been used to treat spleen and stomach disease in China. Extracts of lesser galangal have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiobesity and hypolipidaemic activities (Lee & Houghton, 2005;Lee et al, 2009;Omoregie et al, 2013;Xia et al, 2010;Yasukawa et al, 2008). Diverse diarylheptanoids have been purified from lesser galangal and have also been prepared by organic synthesis as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer reagents (Lee et al, 2006;Yasukawa et al, 2008).…”

“…It was reported that lesser galangal has anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and hypolipidaemic activities (Lee et al, 2009;Xia, Yu, Wang, Ren, & Chen, 2010). Furthermore, the extracts of lesser galangal showed anticancer activity in both in vitro and in vivo studies (Lee & Houghton, 2005;Omoregie, Omoruyi, Wright, Jones, & Zimba, 2013;Yasukawa et al, 2008). Some studies have shown that diarylheptanoids from lesser galangal have antioxidant (Ly, Shimoyamada, Kato, & Yamauchi, 2003), anti-inflammatory (Lee, Kim, & Ryu, 2006), antiemetic (Shin, Kinoshita, Koyama, & Takahashi, 2002), and anticancer activities Liu, Liu, Guan, & Liang, 2014;Tabata et al, 2009).…”

Anticancer Properties of Alpinia officinarum (Lesser Galangal) – A mini review.

“…More recently, many unique biochemical compounds have been purified from A. officinarum (6,7). Among the most studied of these compounds are galangin and members of a class of compounds known as diarylheptanoids which have been demonstrated to have significant anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and anti-emetic properties (3,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) (Tables 2 and 3).…”