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Zingiber purpureum Roscoe, known as plai in Thailand, is a perennial plant of the Zingiberaceae family and has traditionally been used in Southeast Asian countries to treat inflammation, pain, and asthma. In this study, we performed the characterization of the volatile constituents in ethyl acetate extracts of plai. Ethyl acetate extracts derived from the rhizomes of plai were subjected to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the key peaks in the total ion current chromatograms were annotated or identified. In total, twenty-one compounds were identified using isolation procedures or standards, and nine compounds were annotated by comparing their Kovats retention index (RI) and electron ionization (EI) mass spectra with those in the literature. Most of the identifications were inconsistent with the tentative annotations found via library search and suggested that some peaks were incorrectly assigned in previous studies. Thus, to avoid further misannotations and contribute to the research on dereplication, the RI value, EI mass spectral data, and NMR spectroscopy data of the isolated compounds are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zingiber ottensii (ZO) Valeton, a local plant in Northern Thailand, has been widely used in traditional medicine. Many studies using in vitro models reveal its pharmacological activities, including the anti-inflammatory activity of ZO essential oil, extracted from ZO rhizomes. However, the scientific report to confirm its anti-inflammatory activity using animal models is still lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity and explore the possible mechanisms of action of ZO essential oil in rats. The results revealed that ZO essential oil significantly reduced the ear edema formation induced by ethyl phenylpropiolate. Pre-treatment with ZO essential oil significantly reduced the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and the severity of inflammation in paw tissue. In addition, pre-treatment with ZO essential oil exhibited decreased COX-2 and pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α expression in paw tissue, as well as PGE2 levels in serum. On this basis, our study suggests that ZO essential oil possesses anti-inflammatory activity in animal models. Its possible mechanisms of action may involve the inhibition of TNF-α expression as well as the inhibition of COX-2 and PGE2 production. These findings provide more crucial data of ZO essential oil that may lead to new natural anti-inflammatory product development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kaempferia parviflora rhizome is used as a folk medicine in Thailand for the treatment of various symptoms. In the present study, the inhibitory activities of extract from K. parviflora rhizome against 5α-reductase (5αR) were subjected. Furthermore, the effects of the extract from K. parviflorar hizome in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were studied using the model mice. Materials and Methods: Preparations of extracts from the rhizomes of K. parviflora, Curcuma zedoaria and Zingiber officinale, and methoxyflavones isolated from K. parviflora was used for 5αR inhibition assay. The effects of K. parviflora extract on growth suppression for the prostates and seminal vesicles were performed based on the Hershberger's method. The K. parviflora extract was administered to castrated mice for 14 days. Results: K. parviflora extract showed more potent inhibitory activity on 5αR than C. zedoaria and Z. officinale extracts. The active principles were identified as 3,5,7,3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone and 5,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone by activity guided fractionation. Furthermore, K. parviflora extract suppressed the weights of prostates and seminal vesicles in BPH model rats by daily administration for 14 days. Conclusion: These results indicate that K. parviflora extract can be a promising agent for the treatment of BPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic relationship among cassumunar gingers (Zingiber cassumunar) in Thailand was assessed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Twelve AFLP primer combinations generated a total of 309 fragments, of which, 242 bands were polymorphic with an average of 20.2 bands per primer pair. Genetic similarities were obtained using Jaccard similarity coefficients, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the UPGMA clustering method. Pairwise similarity estimated between cassumunar gingers ranged from 0.7644 to 1.00 with an average of 0.879. Cluster analysis divided the samples into five groups with a high co-phenetic correlation value (r = 0.99). Genetic variability within and among collection regions was estimated by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). High molecular variance (84%) was found within samples from the same region. The results implied dispersal of plant materials between collection regions. The genetic similarity assessed by AFLP showed that there are duplicate accessions in the germplasm collection. This genetic information is very useful for germplasm maintenance and a crop improvement program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cassumunar ginger, Zingiber montanum (Koenig) Link ex Dietr. (Zingiberaceae), is called Phlai in Thailand. The current study investigates the levels of antioxidant activity and major volatile oil components in cassumunar ginger exposed to varying water deficits (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days before harvest) and light intensities (100%, 50% and 25% sunlight). A 120-day water deficit resulted in high volatile oil content and increased sabinene content, but DPPH scavenging activity was not affected. The quantity of volatile oil in the cassumunar ginger exposed to a 120-day water deficit was almost twice that of both the control and the sample exposed to a 30-day deficit. The highest terpinen-4-ol content was obtained after a 60-day water deficit, and (E)-1-(3′,4′-dimethoxyphenyl) butadiene content tended to decrease with prolonged water deficiency. The antioxidant activities of cassumunar ginger were 52.98%, 41.75% and 42.93% in plants grown at 100%, 50%, and 25% sunlight, respectively. Light intensity of 50% or 25% increased the biomass of cassumunar ginger but decreased the volatile oil content; antioxidant activity was not significantly affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zingiber cassumunar Roxb. (Zingiberaceae), is an important medicinal plant known as "Plai (Phlai)" in Thailand, "Bangle" in Indonesia, and "Bulei" in China. Traditionally, this plant has been used to treat inflammation, pain, and respiratory problems. The rhizomes are the primary part of the plant that has been used for medicinal purposes due to their constituents with therapeutic properties, including phenylbutenoids, curcuminoids, and essential oils. Since the 1970s, many studies have been conducted on the phytochemicals and bioactivities of Z. cassumunar to establish fundamental scientific evidence that supports its use in traditional medicine. The accumulated biological studies on the extracts, solvent fractions, and constituents of Z. cassumunar have described their diverse medicinal properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective/neurotrophic, cosmeceutical, and antifungal/antimicrobial bioactivities. In this review, we summarize information on the phytochemicals of Z. cassumunar and the bioactivities of its extracts and constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]