Comparative Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antitumour Activities of Curcuma-longa and Curcuma-aromatica: An Integrated Experimental and Computational Approach

Abstract

Cancer is a major global health challenge, necessitating the discovery of effective and affordable therapeutic agents. Plant-derived natural products remain a key focus, with Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Curcuma aromatica (wild turmeric) recognised for their curcuminoid-rich phytochemistry. In this study, we comparatively evaluated the antioxidant and antitumour activities of C. longa and C. aromatica through experimental and computational approaches. Extracts were prepared using Soxhlet extraction, purified by column chromatography, and characterised by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), infrared (IR), and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. Antioxidant activity was assessed by Ferric Reduction Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay, where C. aromatica demonstrated a lower IC₅₀ value compared to C. longa, indicating stronger antioxidant potential. In vitro cytotoxicity, evaluated against Dalton’s lymphoma ascites (DLA) cells, revealed significant cytotoxicity for both extracts, with C. aromatica showing superior activity. Complementary molecular docking studies were performed to predict the binding affinity of major curcuminoids with cancer-related protein targets. The computational results supported experimental findings that the C. longa and C. aromatica exhibited higher binding affinity and ligand efficiency with the cancer target proteins. These results confirm the strong relationship between antioxidant and antitumour properties and highlight the therapeutic potential of C. aromatica. However, its limited availability and higher cost compared to C. longa may hinder large-scale application. Overall, this integrated study demonstrates that C. aromatica is a more efficient natural antitumour candidate, warranting further preclinical and pharmacological investigations.