Environmentally Friendly Extraction of Antioxidants from Elettaria cardamomum seeds with Glucose-Citric Acid-Based Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent

Elettaria cardamomum belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. It contains components (phenolic compounds, alkaloids, terpenoids) it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. The purpose of this study is to research the effect of glucose-citric acid based natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) on the antioxidant activity of Elettaria cardamomum. In this study, glucose-citric acid was used as a NADES and methanol-water was used as a conventional solvent. The radical scavenging activities, phenolic compound and tannin amounts of the extracts obtained as a result of extraction with two different solvents were found. Antioxidant activities of extracts prepared with natural deep eutectic solvent were found to be higher. It has been shown that NADES, which are less harmful on the health and environment, have low toxicity and are environmentally friendly, can be used in extraction instead of traditional solvents such as hexane, benzene, and methanol.

Benefits of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Extracts for Their Applications as Natural Anti-Inflammatory Adjuvants

The genus Zingiberaceae has been widely used for phytotherapeutic purposes in traditional medicine throughout the world for its anti-inflammatory activity. Experimental studies have established that inflammation caused by chronic infections represents a risk factor for different forms of cancer. The objective of this study was focused on determining the anti-inflammatory capacity and cytotoxic activity of aqueous extracts of Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) and Curcuma Longa (turmeric). The extracts were obtained by maceration and, through GC-MS/MS, a total of 11 different chemical components were determined in the aqueous extract of cardamom and 7 in the extract of turmeric. The main compounds found in cardamom and turmeric were α-terpinyl acetate (54.46%) and β-turmerone (33.45%), respectively. RT-qPCR results showed significantly lower gene expression levels of innate inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) compared to the control (LPS). Also, it was observed that the extracts do not possess cytotoxic activity against different cell lines, where E. cardamomum showed EC50 (µg/mL) of 473.84 (HeLa cells), 237.36 (J774A.1 cells), 257.51 (Vero E6 cells), and 431.16 (Balb/C peritoneal cells) and C. longa showed EC50 (µg/mL) of 351.17 (HeLa cells), 430.96 (J774A.1 cells), 396.24 (Vero E6 cells), and 362.86 (Balb/C peritoneal cells). The results of this research suggest that natural extracts of E. cardamomum and C. longa possess anti-inflammatory effects and no cytotoxic activity against HeLa, J774A.1, Vero E6, and Balb/C peritoneal cell lines. Finally, it was observed that the extracts also decreased nitric oxide (NO) production in peritoneal macrophages.

Investigation of nootropic potential of ethanol extract of Elettaria cardamomum Maton fruit (Cardamom): a spice of India

Background Cognitive impairment mainly affects learning and problem solving abilities of the person. Traditional medicines, due to fewer side effects, more efficacy and lesser cost are still the choice of treatment in India. The main objective of the present study is to explore the nootropic potential of ethanol extract of Elettaria cardamomum Maton fruits. The present study was conducted by using exteroceptive behavioral models like elevated plus maze, passive avoidance apparatus and object recognition task at doses 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg. Results Ethanol extract of E. cardamomum fruits significantly decreased transfer latency and increased step down latency and discrimination index respectively when compared to normal control groups. Piracetam and diazepam exhibited respective rise and fall in memory of the animals. The effect of plant extract on total serum cholesterol, acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde were more effective at two higher doses. However, it decreased serum glucose levels insignificantly whereas a significant rise in brain GSH levels was observed with increasing dose of the extract. Conclusions The study concludes that the nootropic effect of ethanol extract may be attributable to its anti-oxidant, anti-cholinesterase and cholesterol as well as glucose lowering potential.

Development of HPTLC method for determination of α-terpinyl acetate, and evaluation of antioxidant properties of essential oils in Elettaria cardamomum

Purpose: To develop a simple and reliable protocol for high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) quantification of α-terpinyl acetate in oils extracted from Elettaria cardamomum, and to study relative antioxidant potential of oils obtained from three varieties of fruits of E. cardamomum. Methods: Essential oil was extracted separately from the fruits of three varieties of E. cardamomum, viz, Valley-green, Palakuzhi, and ICRI-2, using hydro-distillation method. In the development of an HPTLC method, standard α-terpinyl acetate was subjected to chromatography on aluminium-backed silica gel 60 F254 plates using a mobile phase of n-hexane: ethyl acetate (8:2, v/v), and quantified at 665 nm through densitometric analysis. The antioxidant property of essential oil of each cultivar was determined with respect to 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assays, as well as ferric reducing assay. Results: The developed HPTLC method showed a good resolution for α-terpinyl acetate, with Rf of 0.64 ± 0.01, and also showed good linearity of the calibration plots (r2 = 0.9982). The HPTLC method was validated as per ICH guidelines, and used for the determination of α-terpinyl acetate in the essential oils. The valley green variety of E. cardamomum had the highest content of α-terpinyl acetate (55.36 ± 1.33 %w/w). The inhibitory capacity (IC50 value) for the oil of valley green variety as determined using DPPH and ABTS methods was 378.2 and 19.87 μg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed HPTLC method is suitable for routine analysis of α-terpinyl acetate in medicinal herbs, and it reveals the role of α-terpinyl acetate in the antioxidant efficacy of cardamom oil.