{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:48:11Z","timestamp":1790038091652,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776211200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:italic>Curcuma caesia<\/jats:italic>\n                    Roxb (Black Turmeric) is an underexploited medicinal species with recognized ethnobotanical use in gastrointestinal disorders. This study integrates morphological characterization, validated camphor quantification, and computational anti-ulcer evaluation across 21 genotypes collected from diverse Indian agro-climatic zones. Genotypes were cultivated at Coimbatore and Bhavanisagar and characterized using DUS guidelines. Significant morphological variation was observed in plant height (27.81\u2013107.08\u00a0cm), rhizome traits, and essential oil yield (0.20%\u20130.62%), indicating high genetic diversity. GC-MS profiling identified 30 bioactive metabolites, with camphor emerging as the predominant constituent. Quantification using D-camphor standard revealed substantial genotypic variation in camphor content, ranging from 5.19% (GKK-6) to 33.84% (GTE-18), with high concentrations also recorded in GMR-2 (30.35%), GMN-10 (26.41%), and GCA-5 (24.44%). Molecular docking studies against ulcer-associated targets predicted camphor\u2019s superior binding affinity for MMP9 (\u22127.8\u00a0kcal\/mol) compared to ranitidine (\u22126.3\u00a0kcal\/mol), with stable hydrogen bonding interactions involving TYR A:111 and TYR A:458. Molecular dynamics simulations over 100 ns confirmed stable camphor-MMP9 interactions with minimal RMSD deviation (0.20\u20130.25\u00a0nm) and persistent hydrogen bonding, providing computational support for investigating its potential gastroprotective role in mucosal healing. While\n                    <jats:italic>in silico<\/jats:italic>\n                    predictions suggest plausible mechanisms aligning with traditional ethnomedicinal use, these computational findings require experimental validation through\n                    <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                    enzyme inhibition assays and\n                    <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    gastric ulcer models. This study provides a phytochemical and computational foundation for hypothesis-driven investigation of camphor\u2019s potential gastroprotective properties, identifying elite\n                    <jats:italic>C. caesia<\/jats:italic>\n                    genotypes (GTE-18, GMR-2, GMN-10) for breeding programs targeting enhanced camphor content and subsequent biological validation.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2026.1730520","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T05:44:20Z","timestamp":1776231860000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Genetic diversity and camphor profiling of Curcuma caesia roxb.: identification of elite genotypes and in silico prediction of gastroprotective mechanisms"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"V.","family":"Isha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticulture College and Research Station (HC&RI), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Venkatesan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticulture College and Research Station (HC&RI), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"N.","family":"Senthil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CPMB&B), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V.","family":"Rajasree","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticulture College and Research Station (HC&RI), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R.","family":"Renuka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Chandrakumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S.","family":"Vellaikumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Biotechnology, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CPMB&B), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)","place":["Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P.","family":"Karthikeyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spinco Tech Pvt Ltd.","place":["Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","first-page":"45","article-title":"Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from nine starchy curcuma species","volume":"4","author":"Angel","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. 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