title: Aqueous extract of ginger shows antiproliferative activity through disruption of microtubule network of cancer cells.
abstract: Ginger has a long history of use as traditional medicine for varied human disease. Our present study has shown that the aqueous extract of ginger (GAE) interacts directly with cellular microtubules and disrupts its structure and induces apoptosis of cancer cells as well. The IC(50) values of GAE, as determined from cell viability experiment on human non-small lung epithelium cancer (A549) cells and human cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa), were 239.4+7.4 and 253.4+8.9 μg/ml, respectively. It has been found that the apoptosis of A549 cells by GAE is mediated by up regulation of tumor suppressor gene p53 and alteration of the normal Bax/Bcl-2 ratio followed by down regulation of cellular pro-caspase3. The morphological change of cells upon GAE treatment has also been demonstrated. Both the structural and functional properties of tubulin and microtubule were lost, as confirmed by both ex vivo and invitro experiments. The major component of GAE is poly-phenols (around 2.5%), which consist of ∼ 80% flavones and flavonols. Poly-phenolic compounds are well known to have anti-mitotic properties, and may be further screened for the development of a potential anti-cancer agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Dr BC Guha Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, WB 700 019, India.
authors.forename: Diptiman
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.forename: Amlan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Gopal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis; D047309:Flavones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D044948:Flavonols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020939:Zingiber officinale / Q000737:chemistry*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008870:Microtubules / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D014404:Tubulin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D047309:Flavones; D044948:Flavonols; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014404:Tubulin