Chemical Composition and Potential Antimicrobial and Anti‐Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oil from Fruits of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Sm.

Abstract

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.M.Sm. was extensively used in traditional medicine for its several properties, but continuous investigation is needed to discover the properties of its essential oils (EOs). This work evaluated the properties of an EO obtained by steam distillation (named ESD) as well as extracts obtained by petroleum ether (named EP) both from Alpinia zerumbet fruits. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) was chosen to identify the composition, and eleven compounds were identified as the main components of the EO and EP of Alpinia zerumbet fruits. The antimicrobial properties were investigated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the inhibition area. The results identified the differences in antimicrobial activities attributed to different extraction methods. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western Blot (WB) assay were conducted to assess the anti‐inflammatory effects of ESD. In conclusion, our study suggested that EO from Alpinia zerumbet fruits might be a prospective candidate for antimicrobial and anti‐inflammatory therapy.

Phytochemicals of Alpinia zerumbet: A Review

“…The essential oils of A. zerumbet mainly include monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes [ 123 ]. According to the previous 35 studies [ 2 , 4 , 8 , 14 , 18 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 70 , 74 , 87 , 92 , 96 , 97 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 ], the relative contents of the 33 major volatile components in the essential oils prepared from the leaves [ 2 , 4 , 8 , 14 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 52 , …”

“…The chemical constituents in the essential oils of A. zerumbet fruits have been reported by the groups of Shen et al [ 88 , 92 ], Feng et al [ 53 ], and Hou et al [ 87 ]. The group of Shen et al [ 88 , 92 ] identified 58 volatile compounds in the essential oils of A. zerumbet fruits collected from China.…”

“…Feng et al [ 53 ] identified 1,8-cineole (8.8%) in the essential oils obtained from A. zerumbet fruits collected in Guizhou Province (China) in July 2017. Hou et al [ 87 ] revealed that α-pinene (7.1%), β-pinene (15.1%), and δ-cadinene (5.1%) dominate the essential oils of A. zerumbet fruits collected from China.…”

“…GC–MS and LC–MS analyses of organic solvent extracts of A. zerumbet have been variously reported [ 16 , 25 , 59 , 60 , 64 , 70 , 87 , 95 , 96 , 139 , 142 ]. A GC–MS analysis by Kuster et al [ 142 ] revealed the presence of kavalactones, 5,6-dehydrokawain ( 1 ) and 7,8-dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain ( 2 ) in A. zerumbet leaves.…”

“…Hou et al [ 87 ] identified 24 sesquiterpenes and 15 monoterpenes in the petroleum ether extract of the fruits.…”