Ginger, The Spice Which Protects Our Body Against Inflammatory Diseases

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a pungent and kitchen spices which process a potential effect on the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases without inducing any side effects.

Inflammation is a natural reaction of the immune system whose function is to protect our body against the invasion of the foreign stimuli and pathogens.

In the acute phase of tissue damage or injury, the white blood cells responsible for the first line of defense activate the production of the inflammatory cytokines to the site of infection with an aim to kill off the invasive agents.

However, in most cases, overproduction of inflammatory cytokines can damage the nearby cells and lead to improper healing with the formation of scars.

Chronic inflammation is an inflammation that lasts more than 3 months. The development and progression of chronic inflammatory diseases are the results of the immune system which can not kill off the invasive pathogens in the acute phase of infection or immune system mistakenly attacks the body tissue, leading to the persistently the low-grade inflammation.

In the further analysis of the evolution of physiological supersystems involved chronic inflammatory disease, Dr. Rainer H. Straub, the lead author said, "It is predicted that genes that protect energy stores are positively selected (as immune memory). This could explain why energy-demanding inflammatory episodes like infectious diseases must be terminated within 3–8 weeks to be adaptive, and otherwise become maladaptive:

These results suggested that the genes and networks used evolved during physiological supersystems, fitness consequences and during different life-history stages are positively selected if they serve acute, highly energy-consuming inflammation.

In other words, the immune system becomes maladaptive, if an inflammation does not terminate within eight weeks of infection.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) or ginger root, the second superfood used for thousands of years by mankind, is the genus Zingiber, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to Tamil.

The kitchen has been used in traditional and Chinese medicine to treat dyspepsia, gastroparesis, constipation, edema, difficult urination, colic, etc.

On finding a natural ingredient for the treatment of inflammation without inducing any adverse effects, a joint study led by the CHA University, Seongnam was conducted to examine the molecular mechanism of 6-gingerol on adipocyte-mediated systemic inflammation in vitro and in high-fat-diet-induced obese zebrafish.

Injection of 6-gingerol exerted a significantly increased the production of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 and decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, TNFα, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6.

In the RAW 264.7 macrophages, 6-gingerol inhibited the protein expression of proinflammatory factors TNFα and monocyte chemotactic protein-1, a small cytokine that belongs to the CC chemokine family.

6-Gingerol decreased c-JUN N-terminal kinase and I kappa B kinase beta which plays an important role in the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase activated by multiple stimuli such as inflammatory cytokines

Where JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) is a member of the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) family that regulates a range of biological processes including inflammation.

6-gingerol also decreased the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the stimulation of the expression of inflammation.

Dr. Choi J, the lead scientists wrote in the final report, " 6-gingerol suppresses inflammation through the regulation of the c-JUN N-terminal kinase-I kappa B kinase beta and its downstream targets".

Furthermore, the investigation of the effects of 6-gingerol ((S)-5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-decanone) in experimental models that HepG2 cells were exposed to 500 µmol/l oleic acid (OA) for 24 h and preincubated for an additional 24 h with 6-gingerol (25, 50 or 100 µmol/l). 6-Gingerol (100 µmol/l) inhibited OA-induced triglyceride and inflammatory marker accumulation in HepG2 cells of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis also suggested that

* Daily application of 6ginger for 8 weeks while maintained on HFD. 6-Gingerol (100 mg/kg/day) alleviated liver steatosis, inflammation, and reversed 

* [6]-gingerol also attenuated the expression of inflammatory cytokine genes and nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) increased in the HFD group.

The results strongly indicated 6-Gingerol attenuates HFD-induced steatohepatitis by downregulating NF-κB-mediated inflammatory responses and reducing hepatic lipogenic gene expression.

More interestingly, in the study includes five groups of rats containing 14 rats/group received corn oil (control), CPF (5 mg/kg), 6-GRF (100 mg/kg), CPF (5 mg/kg) + 6-GRF (50 mg/kg) and CPF (5 mg/kg) + 6-GRF (100 mg/kg) through gavage once per day for 35 days respectively, researchers showed that

* Before 6-gingerol application CPF-induced rats showed an increase in oxidative stress ((hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA)), inflammatory (myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO) nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF- α)), and apoptotic (caspase-3) markers.

* Injection of 6-gingerol attenuated all factors in the CPF induced rats.

* 6-GRF reduced the inflammatory expression through improving the activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) as well as glutathione (GSH) level in the brain, ovary, and uterus of rats exposed to CPF.

Dr. Abolaji AO the lead author said, " the protective effects of 6-GRF on CPF-induced toxicity in the brain and reproductive organs of rats may be due to it's potent antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties".

Where Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorus pesticide widely used in agricultural applications and household environments.

Taken all together, ginger processed abundantly 6-gingerol may be considered a functional kitchen spice for the prevention and treatment of inflammation.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) 6-Gingerol Suppresses Adipocyte-Derived Mediators of Inflammation In Vitro and in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Zebra Fish by Choi J1, Kim KJ1, Kim BH2, Koh EJ1, Seo MJ1, Lee BY. (PubMed)
(2) [6]-gingerol dampens hepatic steatosis and inflammation in experimental nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by Tzeng TF1, Liou SS1, Chang CJ1, Liu IM. (PubMed)
(3) Protective properties of 6-gingerol-rich fraction from Zingiber officinale (Ginger) on chlorpyrifos-induced oxidative damage and inflammation in the brain, ovary, and uterus of rats by Abolaji AO1, Ojo M2, Afolabi TT2, Arowoogun MD2, Nwawolor D2, Farombi EO. (PubMed)