Chemical Composition, Proapoptotic and Antiosteoporosis Activities of the Essential Oil from the Aerial Part of Alpinia officinarum Hance

Background: Alpinia officinarum Hance is valued as an edible medicinal plant. The rhizome is widely reported to have anticancer activity whereas little information is available on the aerial part. This study investigates chemical composition, proapoptotic and anti-osteoporosis activities of essential oil from aerial parts of A. officinarum (APEO). Methods: In this study, APEO was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC-MS. The inhibitive activity of 0 - 2.5 μL/mL. APEO was investigated using MTT assay, while in vivo effect was evaluated in nude mice. The cell cycle, apoptosis, Δψm and expression of proteins analyses influenced by 0 - 0.313 μL/mL APEO were detected by PI, Annexin V/PI, JC-1, and Western blot, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralized nodules formation of rat osteoblasts with 0 - 0.156 μL/mL APEO were assayed using colorimetric method and alizarin red staining, respectively. Results: Total 45 constituents were identified accounting for 91.1% of APEO (sesquiterpene hydrocarbons for 44.4%). APEO significantly inhibited cancer cells growth in a dose-dependent manner. APEO also inhibited cancer growth in vivo. The percentage of S phase cells is up to 64.846% with 0.313 μL/mL APEO. The proportion of total apoptotic cells significantly increased to 79.6% at 0.313 μL/mL concentration. APEO treated cells accompanied with Bcl-2 and Δψm decrease, and caspase-3 and p53 upregulation. Furthermore, addition of APEO in rat osteoblasts led to a dose-dependent increase in ALP activity and formation of mineralized bone nodules. Conclusions: Our data suggest that APEO could be developed as an agent against human lung cancer and osteoporosis, especially cancer-induced bone loss.