Differential Effects of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Extracts on Malignant and Normal Hematopoietic Cells in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment

Natural compounds are increasingly investigated for their potential as complementary therapies in hematologic malignancies. In this study, we examined ethanol extracts of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes, two phytocompounds with a long history of use in traditional medicine but limited evaluation as complex extracts in myeloid neoplasms. Phytochemical analysis revealed that turmeric extract contained a significantly higher concentration of total polyphenols compared to ginger, while GC–MS demonstrated distinct chemical profiles enriched in tumerones and curlone for turmeric and sesquiterpenes such as 7-epi-sesquithujene and β-sesquiphellandrene for ginger. Functional assays showed that both extracts reduced the viability of malignant myeloid blasts in a dose-dependent manner, with ginger demonstrating greater potency reflected by lower IC₅₀ values. Flow cytometry confirmed induction of apoptosis in leukemic cells, including in co-culture with mesenchymal stromal cells, suggesting the ability to overcome microenvironmental protection. At higher concentrations, both extracts also decreased the viability of normal CD34⁺ progenitors, although the effects were less pronounced at lower doses, indicating a degree of selectivity compared to malignant myeloid cell. Taken together, these results highlight the distinct and context-dependent biological activities of turmeric and ginger extracts, their potential to disrupt stromal support for malignant myeloid cells, and their relative sparing of normal hematopoietic progenitors at lower concentrations. These findings provide a rationale for further preclinical exploration of standardized extracts as complementary strategies in myeloid malignancies.