Ginger Extract

Abstract: Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a standardized and highly concentrated extract of 2 ginger species, Zingiber officinale and Alpinia galanga (EV.EXT 77), in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Methods. Two hundred sixty-one patients with OA of the knee and moderate-to-severe pain were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled, multicenter, parallel-group, 6-week study. After washout, patients received ginger extract or placebo twice daily, with acetaminophen allowed as rescue medication. The primary efficacy variable was the proportion of responders experiencing a reduction in “knee pain on standing,” using an intent-to-treat analysis. A responder was defined by a reduction in pain of >15 mm on a visual analog scale. Results. In the 247 evaluable patients, the percentage of responders experiencing a reduction in knee pain on standing was superior in the ginger extract group compared with the control group (63% versus 50%; P 5 0.048). Analysis of the secondary efficacy variables revealed a consistently greater response in the ginger extract group compared with the control group, when analyzing mean values: reduction in knee pain on standing (24.5 mm versus 16.4 mm; P 5 0.005), reduction in knee pain after walking 50 feet (15.1 mm versus 8.7 mm; P 5 0.016), and reduction in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis composite index (12.9 mm versus 9.0 mm; P 5 0.087). Change in global status and reduction in intake of rescue medication were numerically greater in the ginger extract group. Change in quality of life was equal in the 2 groups. Patients receiving ginger extract experienced more gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events than did the placebo group (59 patients versus 21 patients). GI adverse events were mostly mild. Conclusion. A highly purified and standardized ginger extract had a statistically significant effect on reducing symptoms of OA of the knee. This effect was moderate. There was a good safety profile, with mostly mild GI adverse events in the ginger extract group.

Abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, a cancer of different organs of the digestive system, is one of the most common cancers around the world. The incidence and death rate of some of these cancers are very high. Although a large variety of chemotherapeutic agents have been introduced since the last few decades to combat GI cancer, most of them are very expensive and have side effects. Therefore, the compounds derived from natural sources, which are considered to be safe and cost effective, are needed. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most widely used natural products consumed as a spice and medicine for treating nausea, dysentery, heartburn, flatulence, diarrhea, loss of appetite, infections, cough, and bronchitis. Experimental studies showed that ginger and its active components including 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol exert anticancer activities against GI cancer. The anticancer activity of ginger is attributed to its ability to modulate several signaling molecules like NF-κB, STAT3, MAPK, PI3K, ERK1/2, Akt, TNF-α, COX-2, cyclin D1, cdk, MMP-9, survivin, cIAP-1, XIAP, Bcl-2, caspases, and other cell growth regulatory proteins. In this review, the evidences for the chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential of ginger extract and its active components using in vitro, animal models, and patients have been described.

Abstract: Oxidative modification of LDL is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Consumption of nutrients rich in phenolic antioxidants has been shown to be associated with attenuation of development of atherosclerosis. This study was undertaken to investigate the ex vivo effect of standardized ginger extract on the development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (E(0)) mice, in relation to plasma cholesterol levels and the resistance of their LDL to oxidation and aggregation. E(0) mice (n = 60; 6-wk-old) were divided into three groups of 20 and fed for 10 wk via their drinking water with the following: group i) placebo (control group), 1.1% alcohol and water (11 mL of alcohol in 1 L of water); group ii) 25 microg of ginger extract/d in 1.1% alcohol and water and group iii) 250 microg of ginger extract/day in 1.1% alcohol and water. Aortic atherosclerotic lesion areas were reduced 44% (P<0.01) in mice that consumed 250 microg of ginger extract/day. Consumption of 250 microg of ginger extract/day resulted in reductions (P<0.01) in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol (by 27 and 29%, respectively), in VLDL (by 36 and 53%, respectively) and in LDL (by 58 and 33%, respectively). These results were associated with a 76% reduction in cellular cholesterol biosynthesis rate in peritoneal macrophages derived from the E(0) mice that consumed the high dose of ginger extract for 10 wk (P<0.01). Furthermore, peritoneal macrophages harvested from E(0) mice after consumption of 25 or 250 microg of ginger extract/day had a lower (P<0.01) capacity to oxidize LDL (by 45 and by 60%, respectively), and to take up and degrade oxidized LDL (by 43 and 47%, respectively). Consumption of 250 microg of ginger extract/day also reduced (P<0.01) the basal level of LDL-associated lipid peroxides by 62%. In parallel, a 33% inhibition (P<0.01) in LDL aggregation (induced by vortexing) was obtained in mice fed ginger extract. We conclude that dietary consumption of ginger extract by E(0) mice significantly attenuates the development of atherosclerotic lesions. This antiatherogenic effect is associated with a significant reduction in plasma and LDL cholesterol levels and a significant reduction in the LDL basal oxidative state, as well as their susceptibility to oxidation and aggregation.