title: Comparative effects of two gingerol-containing Zingiber officinale extracts on experimental rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) supplements are being promoted for arthritis treatment in western societies on the basis of ginger's traditional use as an anti-inflammatory in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. However, scientific evidence of ginger's antiarthritic effects is sparse, and its bioactive joint-protective components have not been identified. Therefore, the ability of a well-characterized crude ginger extract to inhibit joint swelling in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis, streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis, was compared to that of a fraction containing only gingerols and their derivatives. Both extracts were efficacious in preventing joint inflammation. However, the crude dichloromethane extract, which also contained essential oils and more polar compounds, was more efficacious (when normalized to gingerol content) in preventing both joint inflammation and destruction. In conclusion, these data document a very significant joint-protective effect of these ginger samples and suggest that nongingerol components are bioactive and can enhance the antiarthritic effects of the more widely studied gingerols.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA. jfunk@u.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Funk
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.forename: Janice N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Oyarzo
authors.forename: Barbara N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Timmermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002396:Catechols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D020939:Zingiber officinale / Q000737:chemistry*; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
chemical_list: D002396:Catechols; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D010936:Plant Extracts; C007845:gingerol