Chemical studies of essential oil of fresh and dried rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe from different sources and evaluation of antiproliferative activity in vitro in cultured human tumor cells

• Grant number: 12/04810-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal researcher: Vera Lúcia Garcia
• Grantee: Nathália Alves Dias
• Home Institution: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Paulínia , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The importance of study the antitumor activity of medicinal plants is related to the fact that cancer is a major public health problems in Brazil and worldwide. In the United States, there are about one million new cases each year. In Brazil, the number of cancer cases increases every year and in southeastern Brazil and malignant tumors are the second leading cause of death.Since 1996, the CPQBA / UNICAMP developed screening studies of medicinal plants with potential anticancer activity, following the same methodology of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA). Preliminary results obtained by our research group revealed potential antiproliferative activity in vitro of the essential oil of ginger rhizomes. The species Zingiber officinale Roscoe, the family of Zingiberaceae is a rhizomatous herb smell and spicy flavor, native to Asia and widely cultivated in Brazil. Its rhizomes are used as spices and numerous studies indicate several pharmacological properties: stimulant to the digestive system, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-rheumatic, among others. In vitro antiproliferative activity of essential oil of ginger (fresh material) was evaluated in nine tumor cell lines and showed potential activity against the strains of Ovary (OVCAR-3), Ovary with multidrug-resistant phenotype (NCI-ADR/RES) and melanoma (UACC-62). These results motivated us to propose this research project, aiming to carry out chemical studies comparing the OE's fresh and dried rhizomes of Z. officinale grown in CPQBA and obtained the regional market, bio guides by testing in vitro antiproliferative activity.