In Vitro Vasoactivity of Zerumbone from Zingiber zerumbet

Abstract

The sesquiterpene zerumbone, isolated from the rhizome of Zingiber zerumbet Sm., besides its widespread use as a food flavouring and appetiser, is also recommended in traditional medicine for the treatment of several ailments. It has attracted great attention recently for its effective chemopreventive and therapeutic effects observed in various models of cancer. To assess the zerumbone safety profile, a pharmacology study designed to flag any potential adverse effect on vasculature was performed. Zerumbone was tested for vasorelaxing activity on rat aorta rings and for L-type Ba(2+) current blocking activity on single myocytes isolated from the rat-tail artery. The spasmolytic effect of zerumbone was more marked on rings stimulated with 60 mM than with 30 mM K(+) (IC50 values of 16 µM and 102 µM, respectively). In the presence of 60 mM K(+), zerumbone concentration-dependently inhibited the contraction induced by the cumulative additions of Ca(2+), this inhibition being inversely related to the Ca(2+) concentration. Phenylephrine-induced contraction was inhibited by the drug, though less efficiently and independently of the presence of an intact endothelium, without affecting Ca(2+) release from the intracellular stores. Zerumbone inhibited the L-type Ba(2+) current (estimated IC50 value of 458.7 µM) and accelerated the kinetics of current decay. In conclusion, zerumbone showed an overall weak in vitro vasodilating activity, partly attributable to the blocking of the L-type Ca(2+) channel, which does not seem to represent, however, a serious threat to its widespread use.

RETRACTED: Potential Role of Natural Products to Combat Radiotherapy and Their Future Perspectives

“…Zingiber (ZER) Smith cytotoxic compound is an isolation part of Zingiber zerumbet [ 22 , 77 ]. It is used as a condiment for food and medicine in eastern countries for its phytomedical properties from ancient times [ 78 ].…”

Nutraceutical Compounds as Sensitizers for Cancer Treatment in Radiation Therapy

“…Zerumbone (2,6,10-Cy-cloundecatrien-1-one, 2,6,9,9-tetramethyl-,[E,E,E]-) (ZER), a monocyclic sesquiterpene compound, is a cytotoxic component isolated from rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet Smith [54,55]. According to its phytomedical properties, it has been used since ancient times as a condiment in food and herbal medicine in eastern countries [56].…”

Potential of Zerumbone as an Anti-Cancer Agent

“…Traditionally, the rhizomes of Z. zerumbet are widely used as a food flavouring agent and appetizer in various cuisines; it is also used in herbal folk medicine and pain relief [37,38,39,40]. Zerumbone is known for its biomedical properties such as being antioxidant, antibacterial, antipyretic, antinociceptive, anti-hypersensitive, anti-inflammatory, as well as possessing hepatoprotective, and immunomodulatory activities [16,17,41,42,43,44].…”