Thesis (M.S.)--Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, 2005. / Tables. Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-36).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Gingerols are the major pungent compounds present in the rhizomes of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and are renowned for their contribution to human health and nutrition. Medicinal properties of ginger, including the alleviation of nausea, arthritis and pain, have been associated with the gingerols. Gingerol analogues are thermally labile and easily undergo dehydration reactions to form the corresponding shogaols, which impart the characteristic pungent taste to dried ginger. Both gingerols and shogaols exhibit a host of biological activities, ranging from anticancer, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic to various central nervous system activities. Shogaols are important biomarkers used for the quality control of many ginger-containing products, due to their diverse biological activities. In this review, a large body of available knowledge on the biosynthesis, chemical synthesis and pharmacological activities, as well as on the structure–activity relationships of various gingerols and shogaols, have been collated, coherently summarised and discussed. The manuscript highlights convincing evidence indicating that these phenolic compounds could serve as important lead molecules for the development of therapeutic agents to treat various life-threatening human diseases, particularly cancer. Inclusion of ginger or ginger extracts in nutraceutical formulations could provide valuable protection against diabetes, cardiac and hepatic disorders.

The prevalence over overweight and obesity has risen dramatically during the past few decades corresponding with a clustering of metabolic pathologies including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, endometrial, breast, and colon cancers. Obesity is not only implicated as one of the primary causes of these degenerative diseases but also represents a major component of the metabolic syndrome. In obesity, the primary defect leading to these metabolic pathologies appears to be an impairment of adipogenesis resulting in adipocyte hypertrophy and dysfunction. Current pharmacological therapies prescribed for T2DM, such as thiazolidinones (TZDs), improve insulin sensitivity through regulation of adipogenesis. However, utilization of these drugs is often associated with several side effects, including weight gain, liver disease, and bone loss. Thus, there is an important need to identify alternative therapies that can modify these adipogenic regulators without adverse complications. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a member of the Zingiberaceae family, has a long history of use in traditional medicine and as been used for a wide array of ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, nausea, and stroke. Several studies have demonstrated anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties of ginger. When used at high concentrations (μM), two phytochemcials derived from ginger root curcumin and zingerone, have been shown to promote weight loss and modify adipogenic signaling. However, due to the low bioavailability of curcumin the physiological relevance of these findings remains to be determined. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which curcumin and zingerone modify adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. To determine the effects of the bioactive components in varying concentrations, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were exposed to either 100pM, 100nM, or 100μM of curcumin or zingerone and tested for cell viability, lipid accumulation, and PPARγ activation. The results of this study suggest that high concentrations of curcumin (100 μM) may be toxic to 3T3-L1 fibroblasts in vitro and significantly inhibit both cell viability and lipid accumulation. The resultant low PPARγ activity may be attributable to cell necrosis rather than dose-dependent inhibition, suggesting need for further research into extreme curcumin supplementation. While results for zingerone did not differ significantly from vehicle, the results of this study provide evidence that further research is needed to ascertain to what extent curcumin and zingerone dose-dependently modify PPARγ and TCF/LEF in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts using lower physiologically relevant doses.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / O gengibre possui em sua composiÃÃo inÃmeras substÃncias volÃteis e nÃo volÃteis. Dentre as substÃncias nÃo-volÃteis destacam-se, principalmente, os gingerols, sendo o 6-gingerol o composto mais abundante e o responsÃvel pela grande maioria das atividades farmacolÃgicas descritas, como a anti-hipertensiva. Neste trabalho, foram investigados os efeitos renais, vasculares e em cultura de cÃlulas tubulares renais do tipo MDCK (Madin-Darby Canine Kidney) causados pelo 6-gingerol. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar machos pesando entre 250 e 300g, cujos rins foram isolados e perfundidos com SoluÃÃo de Krebs-Hanseleit contendo 6%p/v de albumina bovina previamente dialisada. Foram investigados os efeitos do 6-gingerol (3 μM, 10 μM, 30 μM; n=6) sobre a PressÃo de PerfusÃo (PP), ResistÃncia Vascular Renal (RVR), Fluxo UrinÃrio (FU), Ritmo de FiltraÃÃo Glomerular (RFG), Percentual de Transporte Tubular de SÃdio (%TNa+), de PotÃssio (%TK+) e de Cloreto (%TCl-). O 6-gingerol foi adicionado apÃs 30 minutos de controle interno. As cÃlulas MDCK foram cultivadas em meio de cultura RPMI 1640 suplementado com 10% v/v de Soro Bovino Fetal e entÃo avaliadas na presenÃa do composto em diversas concentraÃÃes em dois perÃodos de incubaÃÃo, 6 (seis) e 24 (vinte e quatro) horas. ApÃs esses perÃodos, foram realizados ensaios de viabilidade celular. Foi avaliada a resposta do 6-gingerol em diversas concentraÃÃes na pressÃo arterial mÃdia de ratos wistar normotensos anestesiados. Os resultados encontrados na pressÃo arterial dos animais foi uma queda acentuada de maneira dose-dependente na pressÃo arterial destes animais. Em relaÃÃo à perfusÃo renal, o 6-gingerol mostrou-se um potente diurÃtico e com baixÃssimos danos renais tanto nos dados encontrados no perfil histolÃgico, como nos experimentos de avaliaÃÃo de viabilidade celular em cÃlulas MDCK o que està em consonÃncia com o conhecimento da medicina tradicional. Os resultados encontrados nÃo foram totalmente abolidos pelo inibidor especÃfico do receptor TRPV1 utilizado no estudo, demonstrando que o 6-gingerol possui outras vias renais a serem exploradas em estudos posteriores.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document. / Dissertation (MSc (Plant Production))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

BACKGROUND:Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) accumulate important pharmacologically active metabolites at high levels in their rhizomes. Despite their importance, relatively little is known regarding gene expression in the rhizomes of ginger and turmeric.RESULTS:In order to identify rhizome-enriched genes and genes encoding specialized metabolism enzymes and pathway regulators, we evaluated an assembled collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from eight different ginger and turmeric tissues. Comparisons to publicly available sorghum rhizome ESTs revealed a total of 777 gene transcripts expressed in ginger/turmeric and sorghum rhizomes but apparently absent from other tissues. The list of rhizome-specific transcripts was enriched for genes associated with regulation of tissue growth, development, and transcription. In particular, transcripts for ethylene response factors and AUX/IAA proteins appeared to accumulate in patterns mirroring results from previous studies regarding rhizome growth responses to exogenous applications of auxin and ethylene. Thus, these genes may play important roles in defining rhizome growth and development. Additional associations were made for ginger and turmeric rhizome-enriched MADS box transcription factors, their putative rhizome-enriched homologs in sorghum, and rhizomatous QTLs in rice. Additionally, analysis of both primary and specialized metabolism genes indicates that ginger and turmeric rhizomes are primarily devoted to the utilization of leaf supplied sucrose for the production and/or storage of specialized metabolites associated with the phenylpropanoid pathway and putative type III polyketide synthase gene products. This finding reinforces earlier hypotheses predicting roles of this enzyme class in the production of curcuminoids and gingerols.CONCLUSION:A significant set of genes were found to be exclusively or preferentially expressed in the rhizome of ginger and turmeric. Specific transcription factors and other regulatory genes were found that were common to the two species and that are excellent candidates for involvement in rhizome growth, differentiation and development. Large classes of enzymes involved in specialized metabolism were also found to have apparent tissue-specific expression, suggesting that gene expression itself may play an important role in regulating metabolite production in these plants.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether or not there is evidence for the usage of ginger as an antiemetic in patients experiencing chemotherapy related nausea, based on available scientific literature. Methods: The original articles were found by using search engines PubMed and CINAHL. The selected articles were then analyzed based on their content, quality and results. Based on the results from the content analysis the articles were placed in four different themes. Results: In the first theme two of the articles found that ginger had significant effect on chemotherapy related nausea, when used in combination with regular antiemetic treatment. Two other articles said that it does not. In the second theme four studies found that different forms of ginger lessens nausea, in contrast two other articles found that it does not have any increased effect on said nausea. In the third theme one article found that ginger has significant effect in quelling nausea whilst another article says that it does not show any difference in effect to 5HT3-receptorantagonist metoclopramide. The fourth theme contains one article that find that ginger in combination with high protein diet have antiemetic effect. Conclusions: The conclusion of this literary overview is that there is good evidence that using ginger as an antiemetic in combination with 5HT3-receptor antagonist in patients experiencing chemotherapy related nausea, mainly when given cisplatin.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Food Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-175).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Food Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-80).