Curcuma longa and Curcuma mangga leaves exhibit functional food property

Although leaves of Curcuma mangga and Curcuma longa are used in food preparations, the bioactive components in it are not known. In this study, antioxidant, antiinflammatory and anticancer activities of leave extracts and its isolates were investigated using established bioassay procedures in our laboratory. The leaf extracts of both plants gave similar bioassay and chromatographic profiles. The methanolic and water extracts of C. mangga (CMM and CMW) and C. longa (CLM and CLW), at 100 μg/mL, inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO) by 78%, 63%, 81% and 43%, cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 by 55%, 33%, 43% and 24% and COX-2 by 65%, 55%, 77% and 69%, respectively. At same concentration, CMM, CMW, CLM and CLW showed growth inhibition of human tumour cell lines by 0–46%. Therefore, a bioassay-guided isolation of water and methanolic extracts of C. longa was carried out and afforded nine isolates. At 25 μg/mL, these compounds inhibited LPO by 11–87%, COX-1 and -2 enzymes by 0–35% and 0–82% and growth of human tumour cells by 0–36%, respectively.

► Leaves of Curcuma longa and Curcuma mangga species are used in food preparations.
► Our report on the chemistry and biological activity on Curcuma leaf extracts and isolates is novel.
► Water soluble extracts and isolates from Curcuma leaves demonstrated antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities.
► The extracts and isolates inhibited the growth of human pancreatic, prostate and stomach tumour cell lines in vitro.