oa The Possible Cancer Chemopreventive Activity of Spice Ginger

Ginger extract and its active principles, gingerol and shogaol, were tested in a different model system for their antimutagenicity activity. Salmonella/microsome is a short-term assay developed to detect human carcinogens as mutagens were used for these studies. Ginger extract, gingerol and shogaol in a two model system, inhibited the formation of mutagenic glucose + lysine in TA100 without metabolic activation (S9mix) and glucose + lysine + creatinine pyrolysates in TA98 with S9mix. The observed inhibition of mutagenicity by gingerol and shogaol is by direct interaction. Ginger extract, gingerol and shogaol also inhibited the formation of mutagenic nitroso-compounds from dried fish extract and nitrite at pH2.0. Ginger extract, gingerol and shogaol dose dependently inhibited aflatoxin and benzo(a) pyrene (BP)-induced mutagenicity in TA98 with S9mix. Ginger extract, gingerol and shogaol lowered the excretion of urinary mutagens in BP fed mice. In the same animal there was a decrease in DNA damage as determined by decrease in the bone marrow micronuclei. Finally, feeding 0.5g of ginger decreased urinary excretion of mutagens in active and passive cigarette smokers. These results suggest that ginger in the human diet may act as a novel cancer chemopreventive agent through diverse mechanisms.

Moolky A*., Kolpe U.,** Satish B.S*., Nagabhushan M., Loyola University Chicago, Illinois, USA** University of Illinois at chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA & Manipal University, Manipal, India*