Isolation and Evaluation of Bioactive Non Starch Polysaccharides from Eight Starchy Curcuma Species

摘要

The rhizomes of Curcuma species possess pharmacological properties and produce a large number of phytochemicals, several of which have not been investigated. In the present study, non starch polysaccharides from eight Curcuma species viz. C aeruginosa, C. amada, C. aromatica, C. brog, C caesia, C malabarica, C rakthakanta and C. sylvatica were isolated and their nature and bioactivity were studied and compared with that of C. zedoaria. Non starch polysaccharides constituted about 1% of the dry weight of all the rhizomes. Arabinose, galactose, glucose, rhamnose and glucuronic acid were the major monosaccharide units. The polysaccharides exhibited both antioxidant and antiinflammatory activity. IC_(50)(DPPH) values ranged from 4.7-12.5 mg, highest DPPH scavenging activity was produced by rhizome polysaccharides from C aeruginosa, which was comparable with that of C. zedoaria (3.4 mg). All the polysaccharides exhibited high anti-inflammatory activity, some were superior to the standard drug, voveran. Bioactive polysaccharides having significant antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties can be exploited for pharmaceutical applications.