GINGER POWDER (FREEZ DRIED)
Effect of 6-Gingerol on Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Production and Costimulatory Molecule Expression in Murine Peritoneal Macrophages
1: J Surg Res. 2007 Apr;138(2):209-13. Epub 2007 Feb 8
Effect of 6-gingerol on pro-inflammatory cytokine production and costimulatory molecule expression in murine peritoneal macrophages.
Department of Surgery, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.
BACKGROUND: Pro-inflammatory cytokines produced primarily by macrophages are key elements in many surgical conditions including sepsis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and transplant rejection. Herbal products are being used as alternative treatments in such inflammatory conditions. Ginger is known for its ethno-botanical applications as an anti-inflammatory agent. 6-gingerol is one of the active ingredients of ginger that imparts ginger with its anti-inflammatory properties. We hypothesized that the anti-inflammatory effect of 6-gingerol is because of inhibition of macrophage activation, more specifically by an inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and antigen presentation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activated macrophages. METHODS: To study the effect of 6-gingerol on pro-inflammatory cytokines, we measured the liberation of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-12 by murine peritoneal macrophages exposed to several doses of 6-gingerol in the presence of LPS stimulation. We also studied the effect of 6-gingerol on the cell surface expression of B7.1, B7.2, and MHC II. Finally, we examined the APC function of the 6-gingerol treated macrophages by a primary mixed lymphocyte reaction. RESULTS: 6-gingerol inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from LPS stimulated macrophages but had no effect on the LPS-induced expression of B7.1, B7.2, and MHC II. The APC function of LPS stimulated macrophages was also unaffected by 6-gingerol treatment. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that 6-gingerol selectively inhibits production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from macrophages but does not affect either the APC function or cell surface expression of MHC II and costimulatory molecules. We, thus, provide a mechanistic insight into the anti-inflammatory properties of 6-gingerol that may be useful to treat inflammation without interfering with the antigen presenting function of macrophages.
PMID: 17291534 [PubMed - in process]
Effectiveness of ginger for prevention of nausea and vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy
1: J Med Assoc Thai. 2006 Dec;89(12):2003-9.
Effectiveness of ginger for prevention of nausea and vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Medical College and Vajira Hospital, 681 Samsen Rd, Dusit, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of ginger for prevention of nausea and vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From July 2005 to October 2005, 60 inpatients who underwent laparoscopic operations for non-cancer gynecologic conditions at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Medical College or Vajira Hospital were randomized into Group A (n = 30) or Group B (n = 30). Group A received 3 capsules of ginger (1 capsule contained 0.5 g of ginger powder) while Group B received 3 capsules of placebo. Both groups received their medicine 1 hour prior the operation. Nausea and vomiting were assessed with the Visual Analogue Scores (VAS) and presence of vomiting at 2 and 6 hours after the operation. RESULTS: Median VAS at 2 hours post operation of Group A was not significantly different from that of Group B with the median of 0 (range, 0-5.4) and 0.15 (range, 0-10) respectively (95% CI from -2.59 to 0.90 and p = 0.142). At 6 hours post operation, the median VAS of Group A was significantly lower than group B, 0.55 (range, 0-7.4) versus 2.80 (range, 0-10) (95% CI from -3.61 to -0.73 and p = 0.015). Presence of vomiting at 2 hours was not different between the two groups, 10% in Group A and 20% in Group B (95% CI from -28% to 8% and p = 0.278). At 6 hours, 23.3% of group A had an episode of vomiting compared to 46.7% of group B (95% CI from -47% to 1% and p = 0.058). CONCLUSION: Ginger has shown efficacy for prevention of nausea and borderline significance to prevention vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy at 6 hour post operation.
PMID: 17214049 [PubMed - in process]
Cancer preventive properties of ginger: A brief review
1: Food Chem Toxicol. 2007 May;45(5):683-90. Epub 2006 Nov 12.
Cancer preventive properties of ginger: A brief review.
Environmental Carcinogenesis Division, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ginger, the rhizome of Zingiber officinalis, one of the most widely used species of the ginger family, is a common condiment for various foods and beverages. Ginger has a long history of medicinal use dating back 2500 years. Ginger has been traditionally used from time immemorial for varied human ailments in different parts of the globe, to aid digestion and treat stomach upset, diarrhoea, and nausea. Some pungent constituents present in ginger and other zingiberaceous plants have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and some of them exhibit cancer preventive activity in experimental carcinogenesis. The anticancer properties of ginger are attributed to the presence of certain pungent vallinoids, viz. [6]-gingerol and [6]-paradol, as well as some other constituents like shogaols, zingerone etc. A number of mechanisms that may be involved in the chemopreventive effects of ginger and its components have been reported from the laboratory studies in a wide range of experimental models.
PMID: 17175086 [PubMed - in process]
Investigation of the Effects of Herbal Medicines on Warfarin Response in Healthy Subjects: A Population Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling Approach
Investigation of the Effects of Herbal Medicines on Warfarin Response in Healthy Subjects: A Population Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling Approach
Xuemin Jiang, PhD, Elaine Y. L. Blair, PhD and Andrew J. McLachlan, PhD
From the Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Sydney, Australia (Dr Jiang, Dr Blair, Dr McLachlan); the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Jiang); the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, Australia (Dr McLachlan); and Sanofi-Aventis, Sydney, Australia (Dr Blair).
Systematic evidence regarding herb-drug interactions is lacking. This study investigated herb-drug interactions with warfarin. S-warfarin concentration and response (prothrombin complex activity) data from healthy subjects (n = 24) who received a single warfarin dose (25 mg) and either St John's wort, Asian ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, or ginger were analyzed using a population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling approach. The ratio of S-warfarin apparent clearance (CL/F) compared to control was 1.39 ± 0.06 and 1.14 ± 0.04 after St John's wort and Asian ginseng pretreatment, respectively. Other pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were unaffected. Coadministration of St John's wort significantly increased S-warfarin CL/F, whereas treatment with Asian ginseng produced only a moderate increase in CL/F. Ginkgo and ginger did not affect the pharmacokinetics of warfarin in healthy subjects. None of the herbs studied had a direct effect on warfarin pharmacodynamics. Studies in anticoagulated patients are warranted to assess the clinical significance of these herb-drug interactions.
http://jcp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/46/11/1370
Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Al-Amin, Zainab M.1; Thomson, Martha1; Al-Qattan, Khaled K.1; Peltonen-Shalaby, Riitta1; Ali, Muslim1
Source: British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 96, Number 4, October 2006, pp. 660-666(7)
Abstract:
In the present study, the hypoglycaemic potentials of ginger (Zingiber officinale) were studied in rats. An aqueous extract of raw ginger was administered daily (500 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) for a period of 7 weeks to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Fasting blood serum was analysed for blood glucose, cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. The STZ-injected rats exhibited hyperglycaemia accompanied with weight loss, indicating their diabetic condition. At a dose of 500 mg/kg, raw ginger was significantly effective in lowering serum glucose, cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in the ginger-treated diabetic rats compared with the control diabetic rats. The ginger treatment also resulted in a significant reduction in urine protein levels. In addition, the ginger-treated diabetic rats sustained their initial weights during the treatment period. Moreover, ginger decreased both water intake and urine output in the STZ-induced diabetic rats. The present results indicate that raw ginger possesses hypoglycaemic, hypocholesterolaemic and hypolipidaemic potential. Additionally, raw ginger is effective in reversing the diabetic proteinuria observed in the diabetic rats. Thus, ginger may be of great value in managing the effects of diabetic complications in human subjects.
