Nosema disease caused by the microsporidia Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are a honey bee pathogen parasitizing. Nosema disease symptoms include digestive and absorption disorders because the spores damage epithelial tissue and potentially causing colony death. Recently, N. ceranae has been reported as an important threat to honey bee health. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Curcuma tonga L. belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and is a perennial, tropical herb. Turmeric, the powdered rhizome, is used for medicinal purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) for the control of N. ceranae in honeybees. For the study, we infected with N. ceranae spore through dosed and fed with the turmeric extraction at difference concentration. The data show that the turmeric extraction was not toxic for bee at least at 1% and the bees fed with 0.5 % turmeric extraction had significantly lower infection rates. This data suggest that turmeric could be useful in alternative strategies for the control of N. ceranae.

Nanoemulsions containing Turmeric extract were fabricated using ultrasonication (US) system and their physicochemical properties were characterized by mean droplet size, size distribution, zeta potential, and morphology. Turmeric was firstly extracted using 50% ethanol with heating and concentrated to increase the solid content. The final curcumin content in the concentrated turmeric extract was 10.4 mg/mL. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil was selected as an oil phase by the solubility test. Turmeric extract-loaded nanoemulsions (TE-NEs) were prepared with oil phase containing lecithin and water phase containing tween 80 by ultrasonication treatment. The mean droplet size of TE-NEs was significantly decreased with ultrasonication time and ranged from 66 nm to 279 nm. The optimum HLB (hydrophilic lipophilic balance) value was 10.6 which decided to obtain the smallest droplet size and the highest zeta potential of TE-NEs. TE-NEs showed good storage stability at 4°C for 30 days without any phase separation and significant change of both mean droplet size and zeta potential. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images support that the droplet of TE-NEs was individually spherical shape and not aggregated or agglomerated until the TE concentration was less than 500% (w/w MCT oil).

Background : Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) have traditionally been used as Asian medicinal and culinary herb. Curcumin, a major compound of turmeric, has been known to have antitumor activity. However, curcumin is bioavailable because it is rapidly metabolized and released from the body. Therefore, the addition of adjuvants such as piperine, a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism, is one of the ways to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. Methods and Results : The yields of turmeric and black pepper ethanolic extracts (TM and BP) are 18.2 and 8.2% (w/w), respectively. The EC50 values of A549 and NCI-H292 cells exposed to TM were 77.8 ㎍/㎖ and 92.0 ㎍/㎖, respectively. No significant cytotoxicity was observed up to the 400 ㎍/㎖ in the A549 and NCI-H292 exposed to BP. Based on the central composite design, the co-treatment of TM and BP enhanced the cytotoxicity of A549 and NCI-H292 cells. The optimal combination concentration (optimal EC50 value) of TM and BP calculated by the response surface methodology assay were 48.5 and 241.7 ㎍/㎖. The conbination index assay confirmed that the cytotoxic effect at optimal combinatino concentration was due to the synergistic effect. Conclusion : We hypothesized that co-treatment of TM and BP enhanced cytotoxicity more than single treatment of TM against lung cancer cells, and cell death at this time may synergetic cytotoxicity effects associated with curcumin metabolism.

본 연구 결과 울금 에탄올 추출물이 DMBA에 의해 유도한 유선 암화과정에서 종양의 발생률과 종양수를 감소시킴을 확인하였다. 이러한 종양세포의 증식 억제 효과는 울금의 암 예방 효과에 대한 기본 메커니즘 중 하나이다. 앞으로 효과적인 투여 경로 및 조직 특이성을 검토하기 위하여 더 많은 연구가 필요하다고 사료된다.