Phytochemical profiling, antimicrobial, anticancer, and apoptosis-related gene expression activities of Hedychium coronarium methanolic extract

Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae) is a medicinal plant with diverse phytochemicals and biological activities. This study characterized the phytochemical profile of the methanolic extract of H. coronarium (MEHC) and evaluated its antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis tentatively identified 15 compounds, dominated by (Z)-2-methoxycinnamaldehyde (69.18%), along with sesquiterpenoids such as δ-cadinene, α-copaene, and α-muurolene. MEHC exhibited high total phenolic content (125.17 ± 2.36 mg GAE/g extract) and moderate total flavonoid content (78.43 ± 3.25 mg QE/g extract). The extract showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, with IC50 values of 112.65 ± 1.68 and 98.34 ± 0.58 µg/mL, respectively. Gene expression analysis suggested the involvement of apoptotic pathways, as evidenced by the upregulation of caspase-3, -8, -9, and Bax and the downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. MEHC also demonstrated notable antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria (MIC: 6.25–25 µg/mL), and antifungal activity against Candida species, with the strongest effect against Candida albicans (MIC: 12.5 µg/mL). Overall, MEHC exhibited antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities and modulated the expression of apoptosis-related genes. However, these findings are limited to in vitro observations, and further studies involving bioactive compound isolation, mechanistic validation, and in vivo evaluation are required to confirm therapeutic applicability.