Three new phenolic compounds from the rhizomes of Curcuma aromatica with dual α-glucosidase and urease inhibitory activities.

Three new phenolic compounds, curaromin A-C (1-3), were isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. through chromatographic technique. All chemical structures were determined from HRESIMS and 1D-, 2D-NMR data. The absolute configuration of curaromin C (3) was established by ECD spectra. All isolated compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and urease. Compounds 1-3 exhibited strong α-glucosidase inhibition, with curaromin A (1) being the most potent (IC50 = 9.8 µM), followed by curaromin B (2; IC50 = 26.4 µM) and curaromin C (3; IC50 = 42.0 µM), and all were more active than acarbose (IC50 = 168.0 µM). In contrast, these compounds showed weak to negligible urease inhibition with IC50 values of 249.2 µM (compound 1) and 247.7 µM (compound 2), compared with hydroxyurea (IC50 = 77.45 µM). These results identify curaromins as promising lead scaffolds for the development of potent α-glucosidase inhibitors.