Ginger and its active compounds in cancer therapy: From folk uses to nano-therapeutic applications
Open accessAbstract
Ginger is a spice that is renowned for its characteristic aromatic fragrance and pungent taste, with documented healing properties. Field studies conducted in several Asian and African countries revealed that ginger is used traditionally in the management of cancer. The scientific community has probed into the biological validation of its extracts and isolated compounds including the gingerols, shogaols, zingiberene, and zingerone, through in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Nonetheless, an updated compilation of these data together with a deep mechanistic approach is yet to be provided. Accordingly, this review highlights the mechanisms and therapeutics of ginger and its bioactive compounds focused on a cancer context and these evidence are based on the (i) cytotoxic effect against cancer cell lines, (ii) enzyme inhibitory action, (iii) combination therapy with chemotherapeutic and phenolic compounds, (iv) possible links to the microbiome and (v) the use of nano-formulations of ginger bioactive compounds as a more effective drug delivery strategy in cancer therapy.
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Ginger has gastrointestinal protective properties.
“Ginger rhizome or simply ginger is also a nutraceutical known for its antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, anti-cancer, analgesic, and GI protective properties [9–12].”
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Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials
Anh, N. H., Kim, S. J., Long, N. P., Min, J. E., Yoon, Y. C., Lee, E. G., Kim, M., Kim, T. J., Yang, Y. Y., Son, E. Y., et al. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12010157 · Cited by 227 · see citing works
Ma, Z.-J., Wang, H.-J., Ma, X.-J., Li, Y., Yang, H.-J., Li, H., Su, J.-R., Zhang, C.-E., & Huang, L.-Q. (2020) · Food & Function · doi:10.1039/d0fo01536a · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Foshati, S., Poursadeghfard, M., Heidari, Z., & Amani, R. (2023) · BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies · doi:10.1186/s12906-023-04227-x · Cited by 11 · see citing works
- Authors
- Mahomoodally, M. F., Aumeeruddy, M. Z., Rengasamy, K. R. R., Roshan, S., Hammad, S., Pandohee, J., Hu, X., & Zengin, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Mauritius (MU)
- Ton Duc Thang University (VN)
- Monash University Malaysia (MY)
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Huazhong Agricultural University (CN)
- Selçuk University (TR)
- Corresponding author
- Rengasamy, Kannan R.R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Seminars in Cancer Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-02
- Volume
- 69
- Pages
- 140-149
- ISSN
- 1044-579X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2968731587
- Cited by
- 178
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 2.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- ro.ecu.edu.au
- Locations
- Seminars in Cancer Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Australasian Journal of Paramedicine (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Ginger and Zingiberaceae research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Natural Compound Pharmacology Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ginseng Biological Effects and Applications
- Keywords
- ginger, gingerol, shogaol, zingiberene, zingerone, cancer therapy, anticancer mechanism, cytotoxicity, enzyme inhibition, combination therapy, phenolic compounds, gut microbiota, nanoformulations, drug delivery, traditional medicine
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic, Humans, Neoplasms, Plant Extracts, Drug Delivery Systems, Zingiber officinale, Nanoparticles, Phytochemicals
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