• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.221-225
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• 1994

Pharmacological activities of two sesquiterpenes, curzerenone(I), and curcumenol(II) isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma zedoaria being used as an aromatic stomachic in Chinese medicines were evaluated in rats and mice. Curzerenone (I), at 100mg/kg, p.o. showed a potent protective effect against HCl-ethanol induced gastric lesion in rats, and curcumenol(II), at the same dose level showed a CNS depressant action characterized by a potentiation of hexobarbital(HB)-induced narcosis. Both compounds showed a moderate analgesic action but did not exhibit a hypothermic action even at 200mg/kg dose level.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.196-200
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• 1989

The methanolic extract of the Rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria exhibited a significant prolongation of hexobarbital (HB)-induced hypnosis. Through liquid chromatography of an ether soluble fraction. monitoring by bioassay, three sequiterpenes, germacrone (A), curzerenone (B) and germacrone epoxide (C) were isolated as active consituents. A single treatment (100-200 mg/kg, i.p.) of each compound showed not only a significant prolongation of HB-induced sleeping time but also a significant inhibition of aminopyrine N-demethylase activity in mice, and further exhibited a typical type I binding spectra with oxidized rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 induced by phenobarbital. All of the compounds provoked a sleep episode at a subhypnotic dose of HB, implying that they possess CNS depressant properties.