Plant Biochemistry

Assignment No: 1
Topic: Review of Literature on selected Medicinal
Plant

Submitted to: Dr. M. Sheraz Ahmed

Submitted by: Nimra Naveed (18-arid-4791)
Selected medicinal plant: Turmeric

Scientific name: Curcuma Longa

Review of Literature:
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) a medicinal plant belongs to the family Zingiberaceae
which includes more than 80 species of rhizomatous perennial herbs and has widespread
existence in the tropics areas of Asia, Africa, and Australia. It is also widely cultivated
in the regions of Pakistan. In different provinces of Pakistan this crop is cultivated and
due in different months. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, which is about 1 m in
length. It grown on sandy or clayey loams soils.There are highly branched, yellow-to-
orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes. C. longa, commonly known as turmeric (Haldi),
is a well-known plant which is used as a drug in Ayurvedic and Unani system of
medicine, so this plant is medicinaly important. Others common name includes
Curcuma (Sp. It. Fr.), acafraoda India (port.), geelwortel (Dutch), kurkum (Arab),
Manjano (East Africa [KiSwahili]), manjal (Tamil), kunyit (Indonesia), temukunyit
(Malaysian), and iyu-chin (Chin.). The most important chemical constituents of
turmeric are a group of compounds called curcuminoids, which contain curcumin
(diferuloylmethane), demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. India is the
major producer, consumer, and exporter of turmeric in the world and contains
maximum diversity(40 species) of C. longa. The World Health Organization has
recommended the use of turmeric as a spice. Comprehensively, Curcuma is fulfilment
importance as a growing source of new drug (s) to fight a variety of disorders as the
species contain molecules validated with anti-fungal properties, anti-inflammatory,
hepatoprotective, antitumor, antiviral,and anticancer activities.The structure of
curcuminoids is complex than other chemical constituents. In recent year, several
studies have come out in the literature about this plant, and this may imitate the status of
the subject and its common use as a spice and a medicinal plant.

Morphology of turmeric:

Turmeric plant mainly processes underground rhizomes like other species of ginger
family. It is a perennial herbaceous herb which is erect and leafy in structure. Turmeric
is usually grown and cultivated annually. This plant needs warm and slightly moisture
for growth. This plant requires about 20-30 Celsius temperature and significant rainfall
for growth. It growth up to 60-90 cm in height. The flowers of this plant are yellow in
colour and are grouped together as a cluster of dense spike like structure and about 10-
15cm in length. The blade of its leaves is thin, ovate, sheath like long petiole and entire
margined. The leaves are longer, broader and narrower toward the base. These are 35-40
cm in length and 8-14cm wider and slightly green in colour. This plant has no fruits
above the ground. Its rhizomes possess the finger like projections and skin is
segmented. The central rhizome is swelling like a tuber and possessing many roots.
These roots are terminating in many smaller peripheral tubers. These rhizomes are
branched and fleshy in structure. If we talk about primary rhizome, so it is mostly ovate
in shape and look like a pear also known as bulb while the secondary rhizomes are
cylindrical. The colour of its rhizome is mostly yellow but orange line is present inside
the rhizomes. But the externally the colour of rhizomes are brownish and are scaly. The
length of rhizomes is about 2.6-7cm and its width is about 2-2.4cm. It is mainly used as
household therapy for many diseases such as inflammation of wounds, ailment jaundice,
dysentery trauma and many other disorders. The Indian people called this a kitchen
queen. It has its own taste and smell so it is used in varieties of soups and sauces.

History of turmeric:

This plant is named by turmeric by Marco Polo in 1280. This is for face protection
during sun worship. Turmeric has history of 6000 years for its use in the medicine. This
is mostly cultivated in India, Pakistan, and china, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia and
Indonesia. This plant is also cultivated in some tropical areas of America and Africa.
This plant proved itself in various health complications and in different pathogical
conditions.

Medicinal Uses

Turmeric plant is widely used as medicinal plant worldwide. The turmeric paste is used
to treat common eye infections and to dress wounds, treat bites, burns, acne, and various
skin diseases. In norther areas of India, women are given a tonic of fresh turmeric paste
with powder of dried ginger roots and honey in a glass of hot milk to drink twice daily
after childbirth. Johnson and Johnson (An American Pharma Company) makes turmeric
Band-Aids for the market. A bandage of turmeric is also applied to the perineum to aid
in the healing of any lacerations in the birth canal. Powdered turmeric when taken with
boiled milk is helpful in curing cough and related respiratory ailment, and roasted
turmeric is an ingredient used as an ant dysenteric for children. Turmeric is also used in
the treatment of the dental diseases, digestive disorders such as dyspepsia and acidity,
indigestion, flatulence, ulcers, antioxidant, antifertility as well to alleviate the
hallucinatory effects of hashish, and other psychotropic drugs. In food and
manufacturing, curcumin is currently used in various perfumes and as a natural yellow-
colouring agent, as well as an accepted food additive to flavour various types of curries
and mustards. Recent emphasis on the use of natural and complementary medicines in
western medicine has drawn the notice of the scientific community to this ancient
remedy. Current researches have exposed that curcumin has a surprisingly wide range
of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and chemo preventive
and chemotherapeutic activity. These activities have been demonstrated both in cultured
cells and animal models and have tiled the way for ongoing human clinical trials.

Photochemistry of Turmeric:

Various studies on this plant reveal many Phytochemicals in it. This study on curcuma
longa revealed the occurrence of many rich sources of polyphenolic curcuminoids, i.e.,
curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcuminoids comprise of
curcumin the principal Curcuminoids (about 80percent), and other two curcuminoids
are demethoxycurcumin (about 12 percent) and bisdemethoxycurcumin along with other
one’s protein content (6.3percent), fat content (5.1percent), minerals
content(3.5percent), carbohydrates content (69.4percent), and moisture content
(13.1percent). The essential oil (5.8percent) obtained by the steam distillation of
rhizomes has a-phellandrene (1percent), sabinene (0.6percent), cineol (1percent),
borneol (0.5percent), zingiberene (25percent), and sesquiterpenes (53percent).

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is known to be phenolic diketone, is accountable for the

bright yellow colour of the turmeric and consist of three types of curcumin in different
percentages. Many other phenolic ketones are also present in the curcuma longa. The
essential oil of turmeric has been examined by liquid chromatography and this reported
to comprises of alpha-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, beta-pinene, alpha-phellandrene and
caryophyllene.

Curcumin is known to lost owing to heat processing up to an extent of 28-54 percent.

While they loss maximum from the pressure cooking. This was observed by many
reserchers.
Curcumin is the powerful antioxidant and this compound is considered to be most
sooting and bioactive part of the turmeric. It also processes anti-inflammatory properties
and many other properties. It has been proved as effective to decrease the potential to
decrease.

Antioxidant properties:

In pathological mechanism, free redicals like hydroxal, peroxyl and superoxide with
unpaired electrons are formed. These compounds have much ability to diagnose many
diseases as these can kill many free radicals. Antioxidatory compounds protect human
body from damage by many reactive oxygen compounds.

In lipid peroxidation, free radicals are best offenders. Many plants have too powerful
anti-oxidants properties because these have biological active compounds.

Infalmmatory diseases: In these diseases, there is:1. Excessive production of oxygen

2. Activation of phagocytes, non free radicals and hydroxide radicals. This is due to
formation of hydroxide ions(OH) and have oxidizing action and it can be harmful for
tissues. And this will lead to destruction of cell membranes.

For example, turmeric have more antioxidant activity than vitamin E and C. Also,
curcumin have eight times more antioxidant activity than vitamin E in inhibition of lipid
peroxidation. Through lipogynase pathway, curcuminiods resist the biosynthesis of
leukotriene. And formation of prostaglandin is also decreased. A study have shown that
pre-curcumin treatment can decrease the changes by ischemic heart. Damage by the free
radicals can be protected by natural oxidants. For example, curcumin also act as a pro-
oxidant and it increase the chromosomal aberrations that are found in chinese hamster
ovary cells.

Studies about the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of curcuma longa were
carried out by using beta-carotene-linoleate and phosphomolybdenum usage. These
ways showed 92.3% and 53 mmol tocopherol antioxidant activity respectively.
Turmeric oil can be fractionated by column gel chromatography and this gives three
fractions that are:1. Tumerone(15.09%) 2. Aromatic tumerone(31.33%)
3.Curlone(9.8%).

Anti-diabetic properties:
Diabetes mellitus is a severe metabolic disorder. This disease is due to defficiency of
insulin( pancreatic hormone). in this disease, there is vascular dysfunction. Oxidative
stress is mainly due to free radicals and imbalance of antioxidant potential in body.
There are two types of diabetes. Diabetes mellitus 1 and diabetes mellitus 2. Type 2 is
more spreading in humans. Recent studies have shown that turmeric can reduce risk of
diabetes. Experiment was done in rats. Curcumin in rats reduced the level of glucose 6-
phosphatase which increases the action of liver. It also increased the level of hexokinase
and lactate dehydrogenase in blood. This resulted in reduction of cellular outflow of
alkaline phosphatase. Curcumin is more effective than turmeric.

Turmeric oleoresin is consumed in colour and flavour food stuff. This entity have great
vibrant effects oh hepatic gene which is associated with diabetes mellitus.

Many studies have shown that diabetes mellitus is due to production of many free
radicals which result in reduction of antioxidant properties which result in imbalance in
body.

Turmeric and curcumin lowers the blood glucose level and also reduce complications
raised by glycation products in diabetes.

Along with this, curcumin have potent hypocholesteraemia effects. It lowers the
quantity of lipoprotein in plasma and in liver. Lipoproteins are low density molecules.

Anti-bacterial properties:

Bacterial infections are considered one of important infectious diseases. Therefore

extensive investigates of about 50 years have been isolated various innovative
antimicrobial medicines to combat diverse bacterial infections. Irrespective of progress
in the development of antibacterial constituents, there is a special need to find inventive
antibacterial substances due to the appearance of different multidrug resistant bacteria.

Anti-viral properties:

There is a need to find new active antiviral chemicals compound due to the emergence
of antiviral drugs and the very high cost of certain antimicrobial therapy.

In addition,the prevailing antimicrobials remedies are unsatisfactory and well tolerated.

Therefore, the growing demand for antimicrobials will be further enhanced by the
diversity of plants as a rapid source of many phytochemicals with unique biological
functions such as high-performance antiviral activities that remain the offspring of
scientists.

Curcumin has been shown to have high anti-bacterial properties. it Inhibits Epstein-Barr
virus activity in DR-LUC cells. Epstein-Barr virus inducers such as 12-0
tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, which alter beta growth and sodium butyrate increase
BZLFI levels in cells at 12-48 h of treatment, are effectively inhibited by curcumin.

Most importantly, curcumin also demonstrates anti-HIV activity by blocking the HIV-1
integrase needed for viral replication. It also inhibits the expression of HIV genes
caused by UV light. Consequently curcumin and its various analogues may be used as
anti-HIV drugs.

Anti-Cancerous properties:

Cancer is the main leading cause the animal model methods have qualified curcumin
as a of the death in many developing countries. Several epidemiological studies had
shown that the incidence of cancer is less in the people who depend more on vegetables
and fruits. This outcome is owed to bioactive disorders are comparatively increasing in
young composites that are present in plant foods recognized as population all over the
world. Animal studies demonstrate flavonoids. While immense body evidences has
revealed that curcumin decreases triglycerides and cholesterol chemo-preventive
potency of flavonoids

Anti-microbial properties:

Chandarana et al.stated that turmeric is active against B. subtilus, S.aureus and E. coli
due to the phenoli active constituients present in turmeric like curcuminoids. The
essential oil,alkaloid, curcumins, veleric acid and turmerol are responsible for
antimicrobial activity of turmeric.

Bacterial Infectious diseases are considered important infectious diseases. So in-depth

research for almost 50 years has been isolated from various antiretroviral drugs to fight
various bacterial infections.

Regardless of advances in the development of antimicrobials, there is a special need for

new antibodies due to the emergence of various drug-resistant strains of the drug.
Curcumin extract has been shown to be very effective in inhibiting the growth of
pathogenic bacterial species Turmeric was investigated for its antibacterial and
antioxidant properties through sensitive microbiological and chemical sensitivity.

The mechanism of action after the action of various antimicrobial agents includes the
hydrogen synthesis of various phenolic compounds in protein proteins, membrane
damage, disruption of the electron transport chain and cell wall disruption. Odhav et al.

Various studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin can be tolerated in large doses
without the risk of toxicity. Both can be used as a modem treatment for several
foodborne illnesses.

Anti-inflammatory properties:

Curcumin and many other constituents of turmeric plant have anti-inflammatory

properties. In many developing countries cancer is considered as the main leading cause
of death. After several epodemiological studies, it is shown that people who depends
more on fruits and vegetables have less chances of cancer. This is due to the presence of
bioactive composites in plant foods that are recognized as Flavonoids, on other hand
large of the body evidences shows a kind of chemo-preventive potency of flavonoids.

Genetic mutation leads by DNA harms which is caused by some oxidative stress in the
body. This kind of mutation causes divergence of normal cell division cycle as a result
some unwanted cells are aggregate into a specific form which is known as tumor. These
genetic mutaion of DNA is prevented by Flavonoids. This mutation is from an oxidative
stress through the scavenging of free radicals produced in DNA surroundings which are
then joined with carcinoma form by the process of detoxification.

Therefore it has been shown that curcumin, Turmeric possesses dose has important
bioactive components that are dependent on pysiological and chemo-preventative
effects in diferenttumor bioassy systems which consists of oral, esophagus,stomach,
colon and duodenal carcinogensis. By the proper reading of research the curcumin has
capacity to decline the poliferation of tumor cellswhich are artificially produced by 7,
12 dimethyl benz anthracene and benz pyrene.

Strong anticrcinogenic activites are present in Curcumin. Apoptosis induction is very

important in curcumin anticarcinogenic effect. Curcumin block the progression of cell-
cycle which is very helpful in prevention of the growth of cancerous cell in aortic
muscle cells of rats.

Refrences:

1. Singh, R.P. and D.A. Jain, 2012. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of curcuminoids
isolated from turmeric. Int. J. Pharm. Life Sci., 3: 1368-1376.

2. Palanikumar, L. and N. Panneerselvam, 2009.Curcumin?: A putative

chemopreventive agent. J.Life Sciences, 3: 47-53.

3. Hanif, R., L. Qiao and S.J. Shiff, 1997.Curcumin, a natural plant phenolic food
additive, inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell cycle changes in colon
adenocarcinoma cell lines by a prostaglandin-independent pathway. J. Lab. Clin.Med.,
130: 576-584.

4. Ahmad, W., A. Hassan, A. Ansari and T. Tarannum, 2010. Cucurma longa L. -A

Review. Hippocratic J.Unani Med., 5: 179-190.

5. Purseglove JW, Brown EG, Green CL, Robbins SR.Spices. Vol. 1. London, New
York: Longman; 1981.

6. Ashraf K, Mujeeb M, Altaf A, Ahmad S, Amir M, Mallick MN, et al. Validated

HPTLC analysis method for quantification of variability in content of curcumin in
Curcuma longa L (turmeric) collected from different geographical region of India.
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complex: Preparation, therapeutic evaluation and pharmacokinetic study in rats. Int J
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Molecules 2014;19:20091-112