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Curcuma spp. (Zingiberaceae) is one of the significant ingredients in food and traditional medicines. The current study was to investigate health-benefits of the rhizomes of endemic Curcuma caesia, Curcuma zedoaria and Curcuma aeruginosa using in vitro antioxidant, antiinflammatory and human tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities. Among these, C. caesia (black turmeric) showed the best overall biological activities based on [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) and lipid peroxidation (LPO), cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and -2) enzymes, and tumor cell growth inhibitory assays. The hexane and methanolic extracts of C. caesia (CCH and CCM) showed LPO inhibition by 31 and 43 %, and COX-2 enzyme by 29 and 38 %, respectively, at 100 μg/ml. Eleven terpenoids were isolated and identified. The MTT antioxidant assay revealed that the extracts of three Curcuma spp. at 250 μg/ml and isolates at 5 μg/ml demonstrated activity comparable to positive controls vitamin C and t-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) at 25 μg/ml. The extracts inhibited LPO by 40 % at 250 μg/ml whereas pure isolates 1-11 by about 20 %. The extracts and isolates inhibited COX-1 and -2 enzymes between the ranges of 3-56 and 5-30 %, respectively. The in vitro biological activity exhibited by the extracts and isolates of C. caesia rhizome further supported its use in traditional medicine.

Investigations were carried out to determine the protective effect of terpenes isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum (Fr) P.Karst against nephrotoxicity caused by the cisplatin, in mice. Intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin (16 mg/kg body wt) resulted in significant nephrotoxicity in mice. Serum urea, creatinine and ALP levels were drastically elevated indicating severe nephrotoxicity . The renal antioxidant defense system such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) were depleted by cisplatin injection. The oral administration of terpenes at a dose of 100mg/kg body weight prevented increase in urea, creatinine levels and ALP activity and also maintained the renal antioxidant defense. The Ganoderma terpenes also imparted protection against cisplatin induced renal tissue lipid peroxidation. The results indicated that the total terpenes isolated from G. lucidum possessed significant in vivo antioxidant activity and rendered protection against cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. The results suggest the potential therapeutic use of Ganoderma terpenes to prevent nephrotoxicity caused during chemotherapy using cisplatin., (Copyright © 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)