title: Effects of ginger supplementation on cell-cycle biomarkers in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa of patients at increased risk for colorectal cancer: results from a pilot, randomized, and controlled trial.
abstract: To estimate the effects of ginger on apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa, we randomized 20 people at increased risk for colorectal cancer to 2.0 g of ginger or placebo daily for 28 days in a pilot trial. Overall expression and distributions of Bax, Bcl-2, p21, hTERT, and MIB-1 (Ki-67) in colorectal crypts in rectal mucosa biopsies were measured using automated immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis. Relative to placebo, Bax expression in the ginger group decreased 15.6% (P = 0.78) in the whole crypts, 6.6% (P = 0.95) in the upper 40% (differentiation zone) of crypts, and 21.7% (P = 0.67) in the lower 60% (proliferative zone) of crypts; however, there was a 19% increase (P = 0.14) in Bax expression in the upper 40% relative to the whole crypt. While p21 and Bcl-2 expression remained relatively unchanged, hTERT expression in the whole crypts decreased by 41.2% (P = 0.05); the estimated treatment effect on hTERT expression was larger in the upper 40% of crypts (-47.9%; P = 0.04). In the ginger group, MIB-1 expression decreased in the whole crypts, upper 40% of crypts, and lower 60% of crypts by 16.9% (P = 0.39), 46.8% (P = 0.39), and 15.3% (P = 0.41), respectively. These pilot study results suggest that ginger may reduce proliferation in the normal-appearing colorectal epithelium and increase apoptosis and differentiation relative to proliferation--especially in the differentiation zone of the crypts and support a larger study to further investigate these results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Citronberg
authors.forename: Roberd
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bostick
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahearn
authors.forename: D Kim
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.forename: Mack T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ruffin
authors.forename: Zora
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Djuric
authors.forename: Ananda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Dean E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Suzanna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D020939:Zingiber officinale; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011208:Powders; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011208:Powders