Assessing phytoequivalency of four Zingiberaceae spices (galangals, turmeric and ginger) using a biochemometric approach: A case study

The Zingiberaceae family (the ginger family) encompasses featured candidates used extensively in perfume, dyes, medicine as well as food industries. This study provides NMR metabolite fingerprinting, quantification and biological evaluation of four major plants viz. lesser and greater galangal, curcuma and ginger. 1H NMR derived metabolite profiles of the four spices were modeled via orthogonal partial least squares discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA). The cytotoxic activity of the four plants against colon and prostate cancer cell lines and in-vitro cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition activity were also evaluated. A correlation between the plants’ bioactivities and their 1H NMR metabolite profiles was established using OPLS and revealed putative metabolites responsible for these bioactivities. The most active cytotoxic plant was greater galangal due to its enrichment in galangal acetate. In contrast, lesser galangal exhibited the strongest anti-inflammatory action being enriched in 5-hydroxy-7-(4ꞌ-hydroxy-3 ꞌ-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-3-heptanone and kaempferide. This study provides insight on the potential medicinal merit of genus Alpinia comparable to the more explored drugs turmeric and ginger within the Zingiberaceae family.