Identification of Curcuma aromatica growing in Vietnam and its potential anticancer components

Curcuma aromatica, the herbal medicine belongs to Zingiberaceae family, is well known for anti-tumor activity through multiple pathways and a potential candidate for complementary medicine in cancer treatment. The aims of this study were to distinguish between Curcuma species based on polymorphisms of the nucleotide sequence of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and preliminarily analyze their potential-anticancer compounds. Totally six samples supposed C. aromatica growing in An Giang province, Vietnam were collected. The contents of curcumin, curdione, and germacrone in the six samples were analyzed and compared by using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. All specimens were identified according to their trnSfMintergenic spacer sequences by Sanger sequencing. Among the six samples, three were determined as C. aromatica, two were C. longa, and one was C. zedoaria. Curcumin, curdione, and germacrone, known as anticancer compounds, were simultaneously found in sample NT3 that identified as C. aromatica by Sanger sequencing. The obtained results revealed a potential herbal candidate for complementary and alternative medicine.