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.