Systematic Review: Anticancer Potential of Active Compounds from Galangal ( Alpinia galanga )

Abstract

Galangal (Alpinia galanga) is a plant that is widely spread in Southeast Asia and is widely used for cooking spices. Research related to the effect of A. galanga on cancer cells has been carried out. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the potential of A. galanga as an anticancer agent and co-chemotherapy. The literature search was carried out through the Pubmed, Science Direct, Springer Link, DOAJ, and Garuda Portal databases. The keywords used were "Alpinia Galanga and Anticancer", "Alpinia Galanga and Cytotoxici-ty", "Lengkuas dan Sitotoksik", "Lengkuas dan Kanker", and "Alpinia Galanga and Cancer". Of the 965 articles found at the beginning of the search, 31 articles were obtained which had been filtered and discussed further. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of A. galanga had a cytotoxic effect because it contained antioxidant polyphenols that inhibited cell proliferation by stopping the cell cycle. The most abundant compounds in A. galanga as anticancer agents are 1'-Acetoxychavicol Acetate (ACA) and Galangin. ACA works to inhibit cancer cells by inducing apoptosis through mitochondrial depolarization and DNA fragmentation in the cell cycle phase. Meanwhile, Galangin works as a chemopre-ventive agent that reduces oxidative stress and inflammation by suppressing the MAPKs pathway.