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Treatment options for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are limited and often cause severe toxicity and debilitating long-term impacts. Developing effective and safer treatments is warranted. Several plant extracts have shown their effectiveness, but a comprehensive comparison between plant extracts in HNSCC has not been reported. Our aim was to investigate the effect of different plant extracts on the proliferation and viability of HNSCC cell lines. In addition, we investigated the efficacy of combining cytotoxic plant extracts with radiation. Since RT is a cornerstone in the treatment and management of HNSCC, it is desirable to enhance its efficacy through combination with cytotoxic agents that have minimal side effects. HNSCC cell lines were treated with various plant extracts at different concentrations. MTT assays were performed to identify the most potent anti-tumor plant extract. Colony-formation assays were performed to determine the radiosensitization effect. To investigate the effect on migration, transwell migration assays were performed. Annexin V staining was performed to analyze cell apoptosis. 6-gingerol resulted in the most significant dose-dependent inhibition in all cell lines compared to other plant extracts. Colony-formation assays showed a significant radiosensitizing effect when 6-gingerol was combined with radiation. In addition, the combination of 6-gingerol with radiation resulted in a significant decrease in HNSCC cell migration. Mechanistically, Annexin V staining showed that the combination of 6-gingerol and RT induces a synergistic apoptotic effect in MOC1, MOC2 and SCC9 cells compared to RT alone. In conclusion, 6-gingerol enhances the effect of radiation in HNSCC cell lines and could be a suitable candidate for combination therapy in HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wilt disease of ginger, caused by various Fusarium species, imperils the cultivation of this valuable crop. However, the pathogenic mechanisms and epidemiology of ginger wilt remain elusive. Here, we investigate the association between ginger rhizome health and the prevalence of Fusarium conidia, as well as examine fungal community composition in symptomatic and asymptomatic ginger tissues. Our findings show that diseased rhizomes have reduced tissue firmness, correlating negatively with Fusarium conidia counts. Pathogenicity assays confirmed that both Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani are capable of inducing wilt symptoms in rhizomes and sterile seedlings. Furthermore, Fungal community profiling revealed Fusarium to be the dominant taxon across all samples, yet its relative abundance was significantly different between symptomatic and asymptomatic tissues. Specifically, there is a higher incidence of Fusarium amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in symptomatic above-ground parts. Our results unequivocally implicate F. oxysporum or F. solani as the etiological agents responsible for ginger wilt and demonstrate that Fusarium is the principal fungal pathogen associated with this disease. These findings provide critical insights for efficacious disease management practices within the ginger industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue engineering offers a new horizon for restoring the function of damaged tissues and organs. Here, bone regeneration potential of three-dimensional (3D) scaffold made of collagen/beta-tricalcium phosphate/ginger hydroalcoholic extract (COL-ß-TCP-GIN) loaded with stem cells was evaluated. The scaffolds with different component ratios were fabricated using a freeze dryer to obtain the optimum composition. The scaffolds' chemical, physical, and biological characteristics were evaluated using scanning electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile testing machine, and cytotoxicity assay. The optimum scaffold's bone repairing potential was assessed with loaded synovial membrane mesenchymal stem cells (SM-MSCs) in mandibular bone defect of a rat animal model after two months. The ß-TCP component up to 30% could increase the tensile strength of the freeze-dried scaffold. In comparison, the GIN up to 5% was selected as a sufficient amount to be incorporated with the scaffolds. The morphology of scaffolds showed a suitable porosity for cells to proliferate and migrate. In vitro cytotoxicity results showed that GIN increased the cell viability up to 7 days. Regarding in vivo bone regeneration study, histopathology and stereology assessments showed the mandibular bone formation in COL/β-TCP/GIN scaffolds with SM-MSCs group significantly increased compared to COL/β-TCP/GIN without cells and sham groups. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of COL/β-TCP/GIN scaffold with SM-MSCs to induce bone formation, and this composite can be applied in dental and reconstructive surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using biomass as a fuel in dryers decreases reliance on fossil fuels and encourages the adoption of renewable energy sources, contributing to the overall energy security of the region. In order to achieve this, a biomass-fueled natural convection dryer has been developed, and the effects of thermal storage materials like paraffin wax and pebbles are assessed to evaluate the thermo-economic-environmental analysis of the dryer for ginger drying. The research aims to examine the energy and exergy efficiency and to verify the environmental and economic feasibility of using these thermal storage materials in the dryer. The experiments are conducted under different circumstances, including cases without thermal storage materials, using only paraffin wax or pebbles, and simultaneously using both materials. The results indicate that combining thermal storage materials yields the highest heat energy retention, maintaining higher temperatures for longer durations, and demonstrating superior energy and exergy efficiency. The dryer is also found to have a positive environmental impact with an energy payback period of 1 year and the potential to mitigate 22.82–22.89 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime. The financial assessment of the dryer shows that it has a payback period of 0.31–0.37 years and can produce 2218.38–2223.91 kg of dried ginger annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the simultaneous consumption of sumac powder (RhusCoriaria L.) and ferrous sulfate for six weeks on hematologic indices such as ferritin, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), inflammation (high sensitivity C-reactive protein), oxidative stress (TAC and MDA) and some physical fitness factors in teenage volleyball players with depleted iron stores (serum ferritin less than 40 ng/ml). In a semi-experimental study, 30 girls aged 15–18 years with three to five years of background in volleyball who were at the special level of preparation with low iron stores were screened and randomly divided into three homogeneous groups (iron supplementation, iron supplementation + sumac powder, and placebo). Capsules containing ferrous sulfate with 50 mg of elemental iron, one gram of sumac powder, and one gram of rice flour (placebo) were consumed daily by the subjects until the end of the study. Compared to the other two groups, only the iron group showed a significant increase in ferritin concentration (P = 0.000), anaerobic power of the upper limb (P = 0.04), anaerobic power of the lower limb (P = 0.01), and agility (P = 0.00). None of the three groups showed any significant changes in Hb, Hct and Mcv (P = 0.57, P = 0.36, P = 0.33), hs-C reactive protein (P = 0.06), lactate (P = 0.89), VO2max (P = 0.75) and activity heart rate (P = 0.26). The results showed that sumac powder not only did not improve the effect of iron supplementation, but also had a negative effect on it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is the most widely used medicinal herb of the ancient "Ayurveda" and "Unani" system of medicine due to bioactive compounds present in its rhizomes, i.e., volatile oils (terpenoids), diarylheptanoids (curcuminoids), and gingerols (phenols), which serve as an important panacea for treating arthritis, heart diseases, cancer, diarrhea, and respiratory disorders. It is a vegetatively propagated crop through underground rhizomes and its production is hampered by various soil-borne pathogens which predominantly include Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zingiberi. During the preceding research, the technique of in vitro mutagenesis and selection was employed in ginger cv. Himgiri for the development of Fusarium tolerant lines, resulting in mutant Himgiri-17.5, which displayed improved accumulation of gingerol and demonstrated enhanced tolerance to Fusarium wilt. The present study reveals the first-ever transcriptome data of in vitro-raised Himgiri-17.5 to unravel the role of gingerol biosynthesis and MAPK-dependent hormonal signaling pathways in imparting tolerance to Fusarium wilt as compared to conventionally propagated Himgiri. Through transcriptome analysis, a total of 13.84 GB data was generated encoding 57,939 genes, out of which 3745 were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both the samples with 351 upregulated and 3394 downregulated. The expression patterns of genes in Himgiri-17.5 linked to antioxidant activity and MAPK-dependent hormonal signaling exhibited notable upregulation suggesting their possible participation in mediating plant defense response. Additionally, the investigation provided insights into volatile oil, diarylheptanoids, and gingerol biosynthetic pathway in ginger governed by crucial regulatory genes, namely DCS, CURS2, and ClPKS10. The examination also revealed the presence of 165 upregulated transcription factors primarily belonging to the ERF, bHLH, MYB, NAC, and bZIP families which exhibited a strong correlation with the biosynthesis of gingerol and MAPK-mediated hormonal signaling pathway, contributing to stress tolerance. The discovery of these DEGs related to antioxidant activity, MAPK-mediated hormonal signaling, and the biosynthetic pathway of gingerol holds a promise for the development of improved varieties of ginger through molecular approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diet and gut microbiota contribute to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progression. High-fat diets (HFDs) change gut microbiota compositions, induce gut dysbiosis, and intestinal barrier leakage, which facilitates portal influx of pathogen-associated molecular patterns including lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to the liver and triggers inflammation in NASH. Current therapeutic drugs for NASH have adverse side effects; however, several foods and herbs that exhibit hepatoprotection could be an alternative method to prevent NASH. Methods: We investigated ginger essential oil (GEO) against palm oil-containing HFDs in LPS-injected murine NASH model. Results: GEO reduced plasma alanine aminotransferase levels and hepatic pro-inflammatory cytokine levels; and increased antioxidant catalase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione levels to prevent NASH. GEO alleviated hepatic inflammation through mediated NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and LPS/Toll-like receptor four (TLR4) signaling pathways. GEO further increased beneficial bacterial abundance and reduced NASH-associated bacterial abundance. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that GEO prevents NASH progression which is probably associated with the alterations of gut microbiota and inhibition of the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Hence, GEO may offer a promising application as a dietary supplement for the prevention of NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the use of the essential oil of Zingiber officinale (EOZO) as an anesthetic for Astyanax lacustris and its possible histopathological effects on the gills. Two experiments were carried out. Experiment 1 determined anesthesia induction time and recovery time and the ventilatory frequency of animals of two size classes exposed to different concentrations of EOZO (0, 75, 150, 300, 450, and 600 μL L−1): Adults I (18.86 ± 4.81 g; 10.76 ± 0.87 cm) and Adults II (7.39 ± 2.57 g; 8.33 ± 0.86 cm). Ten fish were used for each size class and anesthetic concentration, distributed in a completely randomized design considering each animal as a replicate. Experiment II evaluated the gill histopathology of Adults II exposed to the same EOZO concentrations as used in Experiment I. Experiment I found concentrations of 300–600 μL L−1 EOZO and 150–600 μL L−1 EOZO to cause deep anesthesia for Adults I and Adults II, respectively. These recommended anesthetic concentrations provided induction and recovery times within acceptable limits for fish. Ventilatory frequency was reduced in the minimum concentrations indicated for each size class. No mortality was observed within 24 h post-test. Experiment II found irreversible damage to gill tissue for fish exposed above 300 μL L−1 EOZO. Therefore, EOZO concentrations of 300 μL L−1 and 150 μL L−1 are recommended for Adults I and Adults II, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a prevalent chronic metabolic condition, for which no approved medications are available. As a condiment and traditional Chinese medicine, ginger can be useful in reducing the symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Although its active ingredients and mechanisms of action are unknown, there is a lack of research on them. The purpose of this study is to prepare magnetite (Fe3O4)@Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) materials and analyze them using ultra-high performance liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) for rapid screening of potential inhibitors of SCD1 in ginger. Based on this analysis, it has been shown that the primary components in ginger that bind SCD1 directly are gingerols, with 10-gingerol having a greater affinity for binding to SCD1 than 8-gingerol and 6-gingerol. Moreover, further studies indicated that free fatty acids (FFA)-induced lipid accumulation is improved by this class of compounds in normal human hepatocytes (THLE-3), with 10-gingerol being the most effective compound. This study provides a new insight into the mechanism, by which ginger contributes to the improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and provide support for the effective use of 10-gingerol for the treatment of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. zingiberi, the cause of Fusarium yellows rhizome rot is a major threat to ginger. This fungus causes huge losses to the ginger plants in the field as well as rhizome rot during storage. The current investigation was carried out to identify and molecularly characterize F. oxysporum isolates associated with the rhizome rot of ginger in Solan, India. The fungal isolation and purification was done on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media. The pure culture was obtained by routine subcultures and maintained on PDA slants. The colonies were initially identified by morphological appearance which is pinkish white cottony and purple undersurface on PDA plates. Afterward, microscopic identification was performed which resulted in septate mycelium and sickle shaped macro and micro conidia. In vivo and in vitro pathogenicity assays were also performed which demonstrated the highly pathogenic nature of the fungus. Finally, the pathogen was confirmed by next generation sequencing using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and Fusarium specific translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1a) primers. Nucleotide sequence obtained after sequencing was analyzed with BLAST tool on NCBI and the pathogen was confirmed as F. oxysporum with maximum similarity with other isolates. Phylogenetic tree obtained clearly showed the similarity of our sequence with other strains of F. oxysporum and diversity with other Fusarium species along with outgroup fungi. The sequence was submitted to NCBI GenBank under accession number MT815912. This is the first report on sequence based characterization of F. oxysporum f. sp. zingiberi from infected ginger rhizomes in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The RP-HPLC method has been established to simultaneous estimation of seven markers in polyherbal formulation JKC using the C18 (25 × 0.46 cm, i.d,5 µm) column. The mobile phase consisted of methanol: water (80:20) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and observed retention time at 2 to 11 min with sharp points. The marker compounds viz. Andrographolide (AG), Piperine (PP), Picroside-I (P-I), Picroside-II (P-II), α-Cyprone (AC), 6-Shogaol (6S), and 6-Gingerol (6G) were quantified in JKC formulations by HPLC method. Detection was performed at the wavelength (λ) of 229 nm for AG, 343 nm for PP, 279 nm for P-I, 264 nm for P-II, 254 nm for AC, and 280 nm for both 6S and 6G by HPLC–PDA detector. Results: The marker compounds in JKC formulations were observed in different retention times (Rt) i.e. AG at 3.060 ± 0.01 min, PP at 5.460 ± 0.03 min, P-I at 2.789 ± 0.02 min, P-II at 2.553 ± 0.03 min, AC at 10.951 ± 0.02 min, 6S at 6.302 ± 0.03 min, and 6G at 4.111 ± 0.02 min respectively. The proposed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r2 0.9995–0.9999), precision, robustness, ruggedness, and accuracy (RSD < 2%) under optimum conditions. The limit of detection and quantification of bioactive markers were as: AG (1.386; 4.200 ppm), PP (2.033; 6.161 ppm), P-I (2.822; 8.553 ppm), P-II (2.538; 7.691 ppm), AC (0.269; 0.815 ppm), 6G (0.158; 0.480 ppm), 6S (0.188; 0.569 ppm). The amount (mg/g) of bioactive markers detected and estimated in plants and formulation were as: AG (41.282 ± 0.48; 10.06 ± 0.18), PP (53.81 ± 0.25, 13.82 ± 0.37 in PN, PL; 4.27 ± 0.07), P-I (15.97 ± 0.01; 0.48 ± 0.003), P-II (63.24 ± 0.35; 2.31 ± 0.006), AC (0.42 ± 0.01; 0.36 ± 0.006), 6G (0.71 ± 0.03; 0.16 ± 0.001), and 6S (2.64 ± 0.09; 0.12 ± 0.004) respectively. Method was found to be rugged and robust. The results found for all the validation parameters were within the limits according to ICH guidelines. Conclusion: The proposed method is fast, precise, economic, and specific and used for the simultaneously quantifiable analysis of seven major bioactive markers in the ingredients (herbs) and the JKC formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown lesions observed on ginger rhizomes in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, appeared to be symptoms of a previously unknown disease. A filamentous fungus was isolated at high frequency from the lesions and identified as Musidium stromaticum based on its morphology and molecular analyses of ITS, LSU, TEF1-α, and RPB2. Rhizomes developed the same symptoms after inoculation with the fungus. We propose the name "brown rhizome rot" to describe this new disease of ginger. This study is the first report of M. stromaticum as a plant pathogen of ginger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the contents of heavy metals in some common spices commercially available in the North Shewa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Korarima seed (Aframomum corrorima), ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), red pepper fruit (Capsicum annum), and turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) samples were randomly collected from the Fiche open market. These spice samples were digested using a mixture of 3 mL of HNO3 (69–72%) and 1 mL of HClO4 (70%), where organic components are assumed to decompose into gaseous forms while other heavy metal elements are left in the solution. The contents of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cd, and Pb) in the spices were determined by inductively coupled plasma‒optical emission spectrometry (ICP‒OES). The results obtained showed that the concentrations of heavy metal in the korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric samples in milligrammes per kilogramme of dry weight were in the range of Fe (38.7–98.9), Mn (10.5–257), Zn (7.30–29.2), Cu (1.70–6.50), Cr (5.40–9.70), Cd (1.50–2.90), Pb (14.5–28.4), and Ni (3.90–6.70). The heavy metal contents in korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric samples were compared with the maximum values given by the World Health Organization (WHO). Accordingly, the Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, and Ni values in the spice samples were found to be lower than the maximum limit of the WHO, while the levels of Pb and Cd in four spice samples and Mn (only in ginger) were higher than the WHO permissible limit. This study shows that the consumption of korarima, red pepper, ginger, and turmeric may pose a serious health threat to consumers due to the high content of lead, cadmium, and manganese (only in ginger) in spices. Therefore, it is suggested that further study be conducted on spice samples based on the origin of cultivation to determine which hotspot is responsible for high levels of contamination of lead, cadmium, and manganese to protect consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the biocultural landscape differs from the country of origin, migrants develop strategies to maintain ethnobotanical habits and/or adapt them to the new environment. We conducted 30 semistructured interviews with people of Congolese descent to investigate medicinal plant use among the Congolese community (Democratic Republic of Congo) in Belgium. Participants were selected through snowball sampling and purposive sampling. We collected data on the plants used, administration methods, origins of used plants, and methods of obtaining plant material and recorded the use through free-listing. Our analysis focused on plant use, medicinal use values, geographic distributions, and plant obtention strategies. We recorded 86 plant species from 41 plant families used to treat 112 conditions. The species with the highest medicinal use value were Zingiber officinale Roscoe., Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f., and Lippia multiflora Moldenke. Plant species with the highest use values were brought from Congo to Belgium by the participants or their acquaintances. The used plants were mainly obtained through formal and informal trade.. The effects of urbanization and globalization were visible in the high diversity of plants from a wide range of geographical origins. However, the large proportion of plant species with a global or pantropic species distribution revealed that the set of used plant species is subject to biotic homogenization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger oleoresins being rich in coloring, flavoring and other phytochemical compounds have strong potential for industrial applications. In this study, 5 different oleoresins' extraction methods are compared in terms of yield and phytochemical characterization of oleoresins. Petroleum ether exhibited the highest yield (5.51 ± 0.08%) among all selected methods. In terms of chemical characterization of extracted oleoresins, oleoresins yielded by supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC), Total f1avonoid content (TFC), total volatiles and antioxidant activity. SCF extracted oleoresins with best phytochemical profiling were further subjected to structural studies through fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and fatty acid profiling through gas chromatography attached with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Several functional groups were detected through FTIR including alkane with the highest peak at 2934.0968 cm− 1 wave number indicating C-H bonding followed by ester with C = O stretching bond type at 1751.5953 cm− 1 wave number. Similarly, total 11 fatty acids were analyzed ranging from 3.00 to 25.30% concentration through GC-FID. Methyl palmitoleate was found in the highest concentration (25.30%) with 21.36 min. retention time while methyl butyrate was detected in the lowest amount (3.00%) with 2.18 min. retention time. Data was interpreted statistically and it was concluded that oleoresins extracted through SCFE exhibited a bit lower yield (3.98 ± 0.05%) but were found best in terms of purity and phytochemical characterization. Oleoresins' yield and quality can further be enhanced by optimizing the extraction conditions resulting in their better and more acceptable utilization by food and other pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused a dramatic loss of human life worldwide, leading to accelerated research for antiviral drug discovery. Herbal medicine is one of the most commonly used alternative medicine for the prevention and treatment of many conditions including respiratory system diseases. In this study, a computational pipeline was employed, including network pharmacology, molecular docking simulations, and molecular dynamics simulations, to analyze the common phytochemicals of ginger rhizomes and identify candidate constituents as viral inhibitors. Furthermore, experimental assays were performed to analyze the volatile and non-volatile compounds of ginger and to assess the antiviral activity of ginger oil and hydroalcoholic extract. Network pharmacology analysis showed that ginger compounds target human genes that are involved in related cellular processes to the viral infection. Docking analysis highlighted five pungent compounds and zingiberenol as potential inhibitors for the main protease (Mpro), spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Then, (6)-gingerdiacetate was selected for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as it exhibited the best binding interactions and free energies over the three target proteins. Trajectories analysis of the three complexes showed that RBD and ACE2 complexes with the ligand preserved similar patterns of root mean square deviation (RMSD) and radius of gyration (Rg) values to their respective native structures. Finally, experimental validation of the ginger hydroalcoholic extract confirmed the existence of (6)-gingerdiacetate and revealed the strong antiviral activity of the hydroalcoholic extract with IC 50 of 2.727 μ g / ml . Our study provides insights into the potential antiviral activity of (6)-gingerdiacetate that may enhance the host immune response and block RBD binding to ACE2, thereby, inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study of plant-based medications, or phytomedicine, involves a wide spectrum of biological activities. Due to the existence of secondary metabolites, herbal medicine has been used and practiced throughout history for the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. Over the past century or so, numerous novel compounds with medicinal potential have been derived from plants. In the age of growing super infections and the emergence of resistant strains, natural medicines are inspiring optimism. The review discusses the role of herbal medicine as antibacterial agents and their use in wound care and management of wounds and the critical role of secondary metabolites of herbal plants in fighting bacterial infections. Some medicinal plants such as St. John's wort (SJW) (Hypericum perforatum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), and nopal cactus (Opuntia ficusindica (L.)) also possess wide range of biological activities and can give a synergistic effect if combined with antibiotics. In addition, natural biopolymers play an important role in the management of wounds as well as the physiological processes of the skin (hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling). Method: A narrative review of papers relevant to the use of phytomedicine in treating infections was conducted by using electronic databases PubMed, CrossREF, and Google Scholar. Short conclusion: Phytomedicine is one of the top options for the treatment of chronic illnesses for millions of people around the world. To learn about the bioactive components of medicinal plants, their medical benefits, and their synergistic or additive effects to enhance the action of medications, substantial new studies are still needed. Highlights: Phytomedicine involves a wide spectrum of biological activities. Bioactive compounds extracted from plants are used for the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. Natural plant & secondary metabolites play a significant role in the treatment of bacterial infections. Natural biopolymers are used in wound care and restoring physiological processes of the skin. Substantial new studies are needed to learn about bioactive components medical benefits, and their synergistic or additive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphotericin B (AmB)–induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common health problem having an undesirable impact on its urgent therapeutic utility for fatal systemic fungal infections. Tadalafil (TAD), a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, has been observed to have a wide range of pharmacological actions, including nephroprotection. The study's objective was to examine the possible underlying protective mechanism of TAD against AmB-induced nephrotoxicity. Experimentally, animals were divided randomly into four groups: control, TAD (5 mg/kg/day; p.o.), AmB (18.5 mg/kg/day; i.p.), and TAD+AmB groups. Sera and tissue samples were processed for biochemical, molecular, and histological analyses. The biochemical investigations showed that TAD significantly ameliorated the increase of kidney function biomarkers (creatinine, urea, CysC, KIM-1) in serum, renal nitric oxide (NO), lipid peroxidation (MDA), and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) in AmB-treated rats. Meanwhile, TAD significantly retarded AmB-induced decrease in serum magnesium, sodium, potassium, and renal glutathione content. Molecular analysis revealed that TAD reduced AmB-induced imbalance in the protein expression of eNOS/iNOS, which explains its regulatory effect on renal NO content. These results were also supported by the down-regulation of nuclear NF-κB p65 and cleaved caspase-3 protein expressions, as well as the improvement of histological features by TAD in AmB-treated rats. Therefore, it can be suggested that TAD could be a promising candidate for renoprotection against AmB-induced AKI. That could be partly attributed to its regulatory effect on renal eNOS/iNOS balance and NO, the inhibition of NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, its downstream inflammatory cytokines and iNOS, and ultimately the inhibition of caspase-3-induced renal apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to monometallic nanoparticles, bimetallic nanoparticle synthesis and characterization have attracted more attention due to their superior environmental protection properties. In this study, we discuss the preparation and characterization of Cu–Zn bimetallic nanoparticles using Zinger extract, as well as their potential role in photocatalytic degradation of carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, monocrotophos, and cypermethrin. Surface properties were assessed with SEM and TEM, while UV–VIS, XRD, FTIR, and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the materials. It was observed that higher pH conditions were more conducive to the development of stable Cu–Zn BMNPs with diameters ranging from 60 to 100 nm. UV–VIS spectroscopy showed that the Cu–Zn bimetallic nanoparticles photodegraded 53–95% of the pesticides, monocrotophos, chlorpyrifos, and carbendazim during the 24–72-h incubation period. A number of pesticides may be photocatalytically degraded by primary reactive radicals produced by nanoparticles. We propose that the use of bimetallic nanoparticles could be one alternative strategy for pesticide mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the drying of ginger cubes using three different techniques: electrohydrodynamic drying, electrohydrodynamic-hot air drying, and hot air drying. The main objective is to assess how these drying methods affect drying times, effective diffusion coefficients, color, and microstructure. Additionally, the study includes fitting ten different thin-layer models to the experimental data for mathematical analysis. It was observed that increasing temperature and voltage values led to a reduction in the drying times of the ginger samples. After conducting statistical tests, it was determined that the Midilli et al. and Wang and Singh models were the most suitable for describing the experimental drying curves. Effective diffusion coefficient values increased with the rise in temperature and voltage values. The L* values of the dried ginger samples decreased due to temperature and voltage applications. Notably, ginger samples dried using the electrohydrodynamic method exhibited better preservation of their original appearance, particularly in terms of microstructure and starch particle integrity, compared to other drying methods. The findings of the study suggest that integrating electrohydrodynamic technology with hot air drying reduces overall drying time. This innovative approach shows promise for producing high-quality end products in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-pressure microfluidization on the physicochemical attributes, antioxidant, enzymatic, and microbiological activity of ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) juice at different microfluidization pressures (68.94, 103.42, and 137.89 MPa) and cycles (1, 2, and 3). An important physical attribute, the mean particle size of ginger rhizome juice, was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased from 15.85 (control) to 12.86 µm at 137.89 MPa and 1 cycle, which was further supported by microscopic inspection revealing cell disintegration. Due to the release of phenolic compounds and pigments brought on by cell disruption, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity assay DPPH, and ABTS values increased from 56.79 to 65.28 mg GAE/100 mL, 69.99 to 77.51% inhibition, and 74.61 to 84.74% inhibition, respectively, at 103.42 MPa and 3 cycles. The polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme was shown to be baroresistant because microfluidization had no noticeable impact on its relative activity. A higher microfluidization pressure of 137.89 MPa resulted in the complete reduction of aerobic bacteria, yeast, and molds. Due to its solvent-free nature and success in microbial reduction, microfluidization may aid in the delivery of high quality clean-labeled ginger juice. The findings demonstrated that microfluidization treatment has the potential to produce clean-labeled, safe ginger juice with improved overall quality. This study provides useful information to industries for the commercialization of ginger juice and will assist in promoting the usage of undervalued rhizome species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to examine the effects of ginger liquid extract (GLE) on the growth, immune response, antioxidative defence mechanism, and general health of Holstein calves. Sixteen calves (4-d old) were included in the experiment and randomly assigned to groups, and they were fed whole milk containing GLE at a rate of 0, 0.50, 0.72, and 1% of the milk amount consumed. Calves consuming 1% GLE were weaned at an earlier age and gained better body weight (BW) compared to the other groups. The group fed with 0.50% GLE consumed less daily starter than the other groups. The administration of GLE resulted in a non-significant decrease in fecal score (FS), the number of days with diarrhea (DDN), and illness (IDN) among the calves. Notably, the 1% GLE exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli, while its effect on the growth of other pathogenic bacteria was not statistically significant. Despite the non-significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidative status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) values, the 1% GLE demonstrated support for antioxidative defence mechanism and immune response. The results indicated that 1% GLE can be effective in promoting the health of calves by enhancing their immune response and antioxidant capacity. This suggests that incorporating 1% GLE into their overall well-being, potentially leading to improved health outcomes and performance in calf rearing operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify substances including Lactobacillus rhamnosus vitaP1 (KACC 92054P) that alleviate hangover-induced emotional anxiety and liver damage. The association between emotional anxiety caused by hangover and the genes P2X4, P2X7, SLC6A4 was investigated. In vitro and in vivo analyses were conducted to assess the influence of free-panica on alcohol-induced upregulated gene expression. Additionally, the concentration of AST, ALT, alcohol, and acetaldehyde in blood was measured. Free-panica, consisting of five natural products (Phyllanthus amarus, Phoenix dactylifera, Vitis vinifera, Zingiber officinale, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus), were evaluated for their regulatory effects on genes involved in alcohol-induced emotional anxiety and liver damage. The combination of these natural products in free-panica successfully restored emotional anxiety, and the concentration of AST, ALT, alcohol, and acetaldehyde in blood to those of the normal control group. These findings support the potential development of free-panica as a health functional food or medicinal intervention for relieving hangover symptoms and protecting liver from alcohol consumption. Key points: • Alcohol-induced P2X4, P2X7, and SLC6A4 gene expression was assessed. • Mitigating alcohol-induced emotional anxiety of free-panica was assessed. • Free-panica showed alleviating alcohol-induced emotional anxiety in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edible, endemic Australian species Alpinia caerulea belongs to the same family as ginger and turmeric. The rhizome and fruit have a mild ginger-like flavour, but there is very little information on its chemical composition or potential biological activities. This study found low levels of ascorbic acid in the fruit and fruit capsule (2.3–3.4 mg/100 g fresh weight), as well as detecting six polyphenols (rutin, quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin, vanillic acid, kaempferol and chlorogenic acid) across all of the plant parts. The volatile profile of the rhizome was also explored for the first time. The volatiles were dominated (91.7%) by (E)-8(17),12-labdadiene-15,16-dial, but included 20 other minor constituents; mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Extracts showed no inhibitory activity against tyrosinase or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), but moderate anti-acetylcholinesterase was found for the rhizome and stem extracts. Further investigation into A. caerulea and other species from this genus will help to elucidate their full nutritional and bioactive potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) treatment in patients with severe dry eye disease (DED), as well as its effects on aqueous-deficient (ADDE), evaporative (EDE), and mixed (MDE) dry eye. Methods: In this prospective, interventional study, 81 patients were randomly allocated to received four treatment sessions of QMR at 1-week intervals (Rexon-Eye®, Resono Ophthalmic, Trieste, Italy) (QRM group) or tear substitute four times daily, containing 0.15% sodium hyaluronate and 3% trehalose (Thealoz Duo®, Thea Pharma, France) (SH-TH group). Outcome measures included ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, tear meniscus height (TMH), tear breakup time (TBUT), non-invasive breakup time (NIBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), lipid layer thickness (LLT), tear film osmolarity (OSM), and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) grade, which were assessed at baseline and 1-month and 3-month follow-up. Results: The QMR group achieved better improvements than the SH-TH group in OSDI and SANDE questionnaires, NIBUT, LLT, and CFS. The mean differences between the groups were as follows: OSDI (− 12.4 ± 0.25 points, P = 0.01), SANDE (10.6 ± 1.7 points, P = 0.01), NIBUT (2 ± 0.25 s, P = 0.01), LLT (18.7 ± 0.7 nm, P = 0.01), and CFS (1.2 ± 0.1 points, P = 0.02). In subgroups analysis, QMR treatment demonstrated a beneficial role to improve DED symptoms and signs in ADDE, EDE, and MDE. Conclusion: QMR is an effective and well-tolerated treatment that seems to improve DED symptoms and signs in patients with severe DED. However, further studies are needed to confirm this. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT06119386. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the toxic effects of permethrin on Allium cepa L. and the protective role of Zingiber officinale rhizome extract (Zoex) were investigated. In this context, 6 different groups were formed. While the control group was treated with tap water, the groups II and III were treated with 10 µg/mL and 20 µg/mL Zoex, respectively, and the group IV was treated with 100 µg/L permethrin. The protective effect of Zoex against permethrin toxicity was studied as a function of dose, and groups V and VI formed for this purpose were treated with 10 µg/mL Zoex + 100 µg/L permethrin and 20 µg/mL Zoex + 100 µg/L permethrin, respectively. After 72 h of germination, cytogenetic, biochemical, physiological, and anatomical changes in meristematic cells of A. cepa were studied. As a result, permethrin application decreased the mitotic index (MI) and increased the frequency of micronuclei (MN), and chromosomal abnormalities. The increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) and the decrease in glutathione (GSH) indicate that permethrin causes oxidative damage. Compared to the control group, a 68.5% decrease in root elongation (p < 0.05) and an 81.8% decrease (p < 0.05) in weight gain were observed in the permethrin-treated group. It was found that the application of Zoex together with permethrin resulted in regression of all detected abnormalities, reduction in the incidence of anatomical damage, MN and chromosomal aberrations, and improvement in MI rates. The most significant improvement was observed in group VI treated with 20 µg/mL Zoex, and Zoex was also found to provide dose-dependent protection. The toxicity mechanism of permethrin was also elucidated by molecular docking and spectral studies. From the data obtained during the study, it was found that permethrin has toxic effects on A. cepa, a non-target organism, while Zoex plays a protective role by reducing these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green synthesis method which is aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) theory, is proposed to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles using ginger extract to treat the acidic wastewater and acidic factory effluent as a current challenge and the effects of the concentration of extracts on the synthesized ZnO nanostructures are investigated. The results declare that the single-phase hexagonal ZnO is formed using ginger extract concentration of less than 25 mL and the crystallite size of green synthesized ZnO NPs increased with increasing the concentration of ginger extract. Also, the significant effects of ginger extract concentration on the morphology of nanoparticles (nanocone, nanoflakes, and flower-like) and the particle size are demonstrated. The low concentration of ginger extract leads to the formation of the ZnO nanoflakes, while the flower-like structure is gradually completed by increasing the concentration of the ginger extract. Furthermore, significant changes in the specific surface area (SSA) of the samples are observed (in the range of 6.1–27.7 m2/g) by the variation of ginger extract concentration and the best SSA is related to using 10 mL ginger extract. Also, the strong effect of using ginger extract on the reflectance spectra of the green synthesized ZnO NPs, especially in the UV region is proved. The indirect (direct) band gap energies of the ZnO samples are obtained in the range of 3.09–3.20 eV (3.32–3.38 eV). Furthermore, the photocatalytic activities of the samples for the degradation of methylene blue indicate the impressive effect of ginger extract concentration on the degradation efficiency of ZnO nanoparticles and it reaches up to 44% and 83% for ZnO NPs prepared using 5 mL ginger extract in a pH of 4.3 and 5.6, respectively. This study provided new insights into the fabrication and practical application of high-performance ZnO photocatalysts synthesized using ginger extract in degrading organic pollutants in an acidic solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, biodiesel is proclaimed as alternative fuel for compression ignition engines. However, poor oxidation stability of biodiesel is the major challenge for long-term storage of biodiesel. The oxidative nature of fuel degrades the viscosity, calorific value, acid value, and so on. Still, antioxidants provided satisfactory results. Ginger powder has good antioxidant properties. The present study explored the possibility to improve storage stability with the major characteristics of biodiesel fuel like calorific value, acid value, kinematic viscosity, and peroxide value. The response surface methodology (RSM) optimization has been employed and process parameters were taken as storage time, exposure temperature, and blending ratio and ginger antioxidant. For test fuels, oxidation stability results data was obtained by the EN14112 reference method Rancimat. The interaction plots have been shown in the present work and got 31.3% biodiesel blend, 676.7 ppm concentration of ginger, 120 °C exposure temperature, and 4.24 months storage time. After analysis, RSM optimizer results of calorific value, viscosity, acid value, and induction period were 42 MJ/kg, 3.3 cSt, 0.176 mgKOH/g, and 16 h respectively. Validation has been done through experimental trails and found satisfactory limits. So, ginger is explored as a novel antioxidant at variable concentration and found satisfactory for biodiesel fuel storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain damage caused by ethanol abuse may lead to permanent damage, including severe dementia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ginger powder on ethanol-induced cognitive disorders by examining oxidative damage and inflammation status, and the gene expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors in the hippocampus of male rats. 24 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were allocated randomly to four groups as follows control, ethanol (4g/kg/day, by gavage), ginger (1g/kg/day, by gavage), and ginger-ethanol. At the end of the study, memory and learning were evaluated by the shuttle box test. Moreover, to explore mechanisms involved in ethanol-induced cognitive impairment and the protective effect of ginger, the expression of Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), NMDA receptor, and GABA-A receptor was measured along with inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers in the hippocampus tissue. The results showed that ethanol could induce cognitive impairment in the ethanol group, while pretreatment with ginger could reverse it. The gene expression of the NF-κB/ Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/Interleukin (IL)-1β pathway and NMDA and GABA-A receptors significantly increased in the ethanol group compared to the control group. While pretreatment with ginger could significantly improve ethanol-induced cognitive impairment through these pathways in the ginger-ethanol group compared to the ethanol group (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that ginger powder could ameliorate ethanol-induced cognitive impairment by modulating the expression of NMDA and GABA-A receptors and inhibiting oxidative damage and the NF-κB/TNF-α/IL-1β pathway in the rat hippocampus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to elucidate the possible protective efficiency of Echinacea purpurea hydroethanolic extract (EchEE) against bifenthrin (BIF)-induced neuro-chemical and behavioral changes in rats. Total phenolics content, reducing power and radical scavenging activity of EchEE were estimated. Four groups of adult male albino rats were used (10 rats each) as follows: 1) Control healthy rats ingested with placebo, 2) Healthy rats orally received EchEE (465 mg/kg/day), 3) Rats intoxicated with BIF (7mg/kg/day) dissolved in olive oil, and 4) Rats co-treated with EchEE (465 mg/kg/day) besides to BIF (7mg/kg/day) intoxication. After 30 days, some neuro-chemical and behavioral tests were assessed. The behavioral tests revealed that rats received BIF exhibited exploratory behavior and spatial learning impairments, memory and locomotion dysfunction, and enhanced anxiety level. Biochemical findings revealed that BIF induced-oxidative stress in the cortex and hippocampus; this was appeared from the significant rise in malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels, coupled with decreased catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activities, and reduced glutathione (GSH) level in both brain areas. Also, BIF induced a significant increase caspas-3, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß) in both areas; dopamine and serotonin levels, and ACh-ase activity were markedly decreased in both areas. Interestingly, treatment of rats with EchEE in combination with BIF resulted in a significant decrease in oxidative stress damage, and modulation of the apoptotic and pro-inflammatory markers. Also, EchEE markedly improved behavioral activities and neurotransmitters level that were impaired by BIF. In conclusion, the present study clearly indicated that EchEE can attenuate brain dysfunction induced by pesticides exposure through preventing the oxidative stress. This may be attributed to its high antioxidant component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: One-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is considered an effective technique in weight reduction and remission of comorbidities. However, in common with many bariatric and metabolic/bariatric procedures, gastrointestinal side effects are frequently reported, but clinical experience varies. The objective of this study was to analyze the bowel function of patients who undergo OAGB looking at 5-year postoperative outcomes. Method: This study is cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical, developed with individuals undergoing OAGB (n = 208) in yhe period between 2015 and 2020. The time periods evaluated were 1 to 6 months (T1), 6 to 12 months (T2), and 1 to 5 years (T3). Data analysis was performed using SPSS v.28.0, considering a significance level p ≤ 0.05. Results: 114 participants (54.8%), 79.8% women, mean age 47.0 ± 12.6 years, and BMI 40.1 ± 5.6 kg/m2, 51.9% dyslipidemia, 43.6% arterial hypertension, and 19.1% diabetes mellitus. The T1 group had more severe symptoms/nausea than the T2 group. The T2 group had a significantly lower defecation frequency than the T1 and T3 groups. As for the occurrence of diarrhea, associations were not found in the considered groups. The T3 group had a greater severity of constipation associated with greater difficulty in consuming red meat, white meat, rice, vegetables, and salads. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent in the first postoperative months. However, diarrhea was not common. The patient selection policy and surgical technique were decisive in this result. Constipation was prevalent in patients between 1 and 5 postoperative years. It was also prevalent in those who had food intolerance, which from a nutritional point of view is an adverse factor for optimal bowel function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes is a life-threatening health condition that requires expensive treatment and places a significant financial burden on society. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the potential of low and high concentrations of ginger extract, ZnO-NPs, and a combination of both to help manage diabetes and reduce high levels of lipids in diabetic rats. Methods and results: The research focused on agglomerated nanoparticles under 100 nm, specifically ZnO nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles was determined using X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy analysis, with a monodisperse particle size distribution of 20 to 48 nm and an average size of 38 nm, as shown by dynamic light scattering. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of typical peaks of ginger extract and ZnO-NPs in the nanocomposite structure. The pancreatic tissue histopathological study indicated that a concentration of 10 mg/kg of the composite had the most significant antidiabetic effect compared to other treatments. Lower concentrations could significantly reduce and balance fasting blood sugar and triglycerides levels while also increasing the high-density lipoproteins levels. However, all treatments induced a significant decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins levels. Only metformin and ZnO-NPs in lower concentrations could decrease very low-density lipoproteins levels. The molecular technique showed that a low concentration of the composite led to the most significant decrease in Tnf-α gene expression compared to the diabetic group. The expression of the glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) gene in treated groups had no significant difference with the level of Gpx1 expression in the control rats. Conclusions: In general, this study demonstrated that lower concentrations of the treatments, especially composite, were more effective for treating diabetic rats due to reduced pancreatic tissue damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: We explored the prognostic usefulness of the pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) in patients with stage IIIB/C non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods and patients: For all patients, the PIV was calculated using platelet (P), monocyte (M), neutrophil (N), and lymphocyte (L) measures obtained on the first day of CCRT: PIV = P × M × N ÷ L. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we searched for the existence of an ideal cutoff that may partition patients into two groups with unique progression-free- (PFS) and overall survival (OS) results. The primary endpoint of this retrospective cohort research was to determine whether there were any significant relationships between pretreatment PIV measures and post-CCRT OS outcomes. Results: The present research included a total of 807 stage IIIB/C NSCLC patients. According to ROC curve analysis, the ideal PIV cutoff was 516 [area under the curve (AUC): 67.7%; sensitivity: 66.4%; specificity: 66.1%], which divided the whole cohort into two: low PIV (L-PIV: PIV < 516; N = 436) and high PIV (H-PIV: PIV ≥ 516; N = 371). The comparisons between the PIV groups indicated that either the median PFS (9.2 vs. 13.4 months; P < 0.001) or OS (16.7 vs. 32.7 months; P < 0.001) durations in the H-PIV group were substantially inferior to their L-PIV counterpart. Apart from the H-PIV (P < 0.001), the N3 nodal stage (P = 0.006), IIIC disease stage (P < 0.001), and receiving only one cycle of concurrent chemotherapy (P = 0.005) were also determined to be significant predictors of poor PFS (P < 0.05, for each) and OS (P < 0.05, for each) outcomes in univariate analysis. The multivariate analysis findings revealed that all four variables had independent negative impacts on PFS (P < 0.05, for each) and OS (P < 0.05, for each). Conclusions: The findings of this hypothesis-generating retrospective analysis claimed that the novel PIV was an independent and steadfast predictor of PFS and OS in stage IIIB/C NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes is a life-threatening health condition that requires expensive treatment and places a significant financial burden on society. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the potential of low and high concentrations of ginger extract, ZnO-NPs, and a combination of both to help manage diabetes and reduce high levels of lipids in diabetic rats. Methods and results: The research focused on agglomerated nanoparticles under 100 nm, specifically ZnO nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles was determined using X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy analysis, with a monodisperse particle size distribution of 20 to 48 nm and an average size of 38 nm, as shown by dynamic light scattering. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of typical peaks of ginger extract and ZnO-NPs in the nanocomposite structure. The pancreatic tissue histopathological study indicated that a concentration of 10 mg/kg of the composite had the most significant antidiabetic effect compared to other treatments. Lower concentrations could significantly reduce and balance fasting blood sugar and triglycerides levels while also increasing the high-density lipoproteins levels. However, all treatments induced a significant decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins levels. Only metformin and ZnO-NPs in lower concentrations could decrease very low-density lipoproteins levels. The molecular technique showed that a low concentration of the composite led to the most significant decrease in Tnf-α gene expression compared to the diabetic group. The expression of the glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) gene in treated groups had no significant difference with the level of Gpx1 expression in the control rats. Conclusions: In general, this study demonstrated that lower concentrations of the treatments, especially composite, were more effective for treating diabetic rats due to reduced pancreatic tissue damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of standard substances is a bottleneck for quality control in natural plants. In this study, a novel and accurate method for the determination of four gingerol components in ginger extracts was developed and validated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with a single marker (ASM) using a new calculation of relative response factor (nRRF, fox). The contents of four analytes in ginger extracts were determined by the single marker of nonivamide used as the internal reference which did not exist in the sample and was similar to gingerol in structure and performance. The four analytes showed a good linear relationship within a certain concentration range, and the correlation coefficients (R) were all greater than 0.999. The LOD and LOQ obtained for each standard were 2.14–5.50 ng/mL and 7.15–18.35 ng/mL, respectively. The average recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 89.53 to 100.01% for ginger extract samples with relative standard deviations of 1.03 to 3.61%. The method was evaluated by a comparison of the quantitative results between the external standard method (ESM) and ASM. The results showed that no significant differences were found in the quantitative results of the four contents of essential oil extract of ginger from three different extraction methods determined by ESM and ASM. The sum contents of four analytes were highest in the sample obtained from subcritical extraction method. The proposed approach could serve as an accurate and convenient method in determining the gingerol components in the ginger extracts and its processed products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple potential drug delivery strategies have emerged as a result of recent advances in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The aim of this research was to prepare an optimized system of PEGylated gingerol-loaded niosomes (Nio-Gin@PEG) as an excellent candidate for the treatment of human breast cancer cells. The preparation procedure was modified by adjusting the drug concentration, lipid content, and Span60/Tween60 ratio, resulting in high encapsulation efficacy (EE%), rapid release rate, and reduced size. The Nio-Gin@PEG exhibited significantly improved storage stability compared to the gingerol-loaded niosomes formulation (Nio-Gin), with minimal changes in EE%, release profile, and size during storage. Furthermore, Nio-Gin@PEG demonstrated pH-dependent release behavior, with delayed drug diffusion at physiological pH and significant drug diffusion under acidic conditions (pH = 5.4), making it a promising option for cancer treatment. Cytotoxicity tests indicated that Nio-Gin@PEG possessed excellent biocompatibility with human fibroblast cells while exerting a remarkable inhibitory effect on MCF-7 and SKBR3 breast cancer cells, attributed to the presence of gingerol and the PEGylated structure in the preparation. Nio-Gin@PEG also exhibited the ability to modulate the expression of target genes. We observed statistically significant down-regulation of the expression of BCL2, MMP2, MMP9, HER2, CCND1, CCNE1, BCL2, CDK4, and VEGF genes, along with up-regulation of the expression of BAX, CASP9, CASP3, and P21 genes. Flow cytometry results revealed that Nio-Gin@PEG could induce a higher rate of apoptosis in both cancerous cells compared to gingerol and Nio-Gin, owing to the optimal encapsulation and efficient drug release from the formulation, as confirmed by cell cycle tests. ROS generation demonstrated the superior antioxidant effect of Nio-Gin@PEG compared to other prepared formulations. The results of this study emphasize the potential of formulating highly biocompatible niosomes in the future of nanomedicine, enabling more precise and effective treatment of cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) and sepsis are complicated syndromes that are often left untreated in critically ill patients. 6-Gingerol is a phenolic phytochemical compound that is found in fresh ginger, has pharmacological effects against inflammation. This study explored the roles of 6-gingerol in a mouse model of acute lung injury caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and RAW-264.7 cells inflammation. The LPS-induced animal model underwent histopathological examinations, and RAW-264.7 cells viability was determined by Cell counting Kit-8 (CCk-8) assay. Additionally, qRT-PCR, Immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA were used in vivo and in vitro to identify inflammatory factors and proteins associated with NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. In a histological examination 6-gingerol exhibited protective effects. Moreover, 6-gingerol elevated cell viability and downregulated inflammatory factors Interlukin-1β (IL-1β), Interlukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in LPS-treated RAW-264.7 cells. Furthermore, 6-gingerol decreased phosphorylation of P65, P38 and the level of JNK in NF-κB and MAPK pathways. Importantly, 6-gingerol increased transcript abundance of miR-322-5p which suppressed by LPS and miR-322-5p downregulation negated the protective functions of 6-gingerol. The protective activity of 6-gingerol was mediated by miR-322-5p up-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger extracts (GEs) are antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory. Their bioactivity can benefit foods and active packaging by extending shelf life, enhancing safety, and providing health benefits. Highly bioactive GEs are crucial to formulating potent active products and avoiding negative effects on their properties. Sesquiterpenes and phenolics are the main bioactives in ginger, but drying and extraction affect their composition. GEs are usually obtained from dry rhizomes; however, these operations have been studied independently. Therefore, a combined study of innovative drying and extraction technologies to evaluate their influence on extracts' composition will bring knowledge on how to increase the bioactivity of GEs. The effects of an emergent drying (vacuum microwave, VMD) followed by an emergent extraction (ultrasound, UAE, 20 or 80 °C) were investigated in this work. Microwave extraction (MAE) of fresh ginger was also studied. Convective oven drying and Soxhlet extraction were the references. Drying kinetics, powder color, extract composition, and antioxidant activity were studied. While MAE preserved the original composition profile, VMD combined with UAE (20 °C) produced extracts richer in phenolics (387.6 mg.GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (2100.7 mmol.Trolox/mL), with low impact in the sesquiterpenes. VMD generated shogaols by its high temperatures and facilitated extracting bioactives by destroying cellular structures and forming pores. UAE extracted these compounds selectively, released them from cell structures, and avoided losses caused by volatilization and thermal degradation. These findings have significant implications, as they provide an opportunity to obtain GE with tailored compositions that can enhance the formulation of food, active packaging, and pharmacological products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polysaccharide was extracted from the fresh ginger by water extraction and alcohol precipitation. A homogeneous polysaccharide was obtained by Sevage deproteinization, dialysis, DEAE-52 ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel column chromatography. The molecular weight of the ginger polysaccharide was determined by high performance gel permeation chromatography. The monosaccharide composition, scanning electron microscope and other physicochemical parameters of the ginger polysaccharide were further determined. The spectral properties of the ginger polysaccharide were investigated by ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. On this basis, methylation analysis, 1D and 2D NMR analysis were used to investigate its possible chemical structure. The results showed that the ginger polysaccharide group was divided into neutral polysaccharide components with high homogeneity, Mw = 35.52 kDa, Mn = 216.56 kDa and the sugar content was 93.5%. The ginger polysaccharide is mainly composed of Fuc, Ara, Rha, Gal, Glc, Xyl, Man, Gal-UA and Glc-UA, the amount of substance ratio was 1.01:1.96:9.54:14.82:64.20:3.84:2.07:1.41:1.16. To study the structure–activity relationship of ginger polysaccharide, acetylated ginger polysaccharide and phosphate ginger polysaccharide were prepared by chemical methods in this study. The results of antioxidant activity in vitro showed that the ginger polysaccharide and its derivatives had good biological activity in freeing ABTS + radical scavenging, freeing hydroxyl radical scavenging, freeing DPPH radical scavenging and reducing ability. Interestingly, the results showed that the ginger polysaccharide had a certain inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli in vitro. In general, this study provides a certain experimental basis and reference for the further research on the activity of ginger polysaccharide and its derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils contain a variety of volatile metabolites, and are expected to be utilized in wide fields such as antimicrobials, insect repellents and herbicides. However, it is difficult to foresee the effect of oil combinations because hundreds of compounds can be involved in synergistic and antagonistic interactions. In this research, it was developed and evaluated a machine learning method to classify types of (synergistic/antagonistic/no) antibacterial interaction between essential oils. Graph embedding was employed to capture structural features of the interaction network from literature data, and was found to improve in silico predicting performances to classify synergistic interactions. Furthermore, in vitro antibacterial assay against a standard strain of Staphylococcus aureus revealed that four essential oil pairs (Origanum compactum—Trachyspermum ammi, Cymbopogon citratus—Thujopsis dolabrata, Cinnamomum verum—Cymbopogon citratus and Trachyspermum ammi—Zingiber officinale) exhibited synergistic interaction as predicted. These results indicate that graph embedding approach can efficiently find synergistic interactions between antibacterial essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbal medicines are considered to be safe and efficient and are widely used for the prevention and treatment of chronic disorders. However, quality control of these formulations and their standardization in terms of quantities of biomarker compounds are extremely important. These tasks are quite challenging in case of polyherbal formulations as there are hundreds of phytoconstituents present at nanogram or picogram levels. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods are useful tools in such cases as they are highly sensitive and specific. Majoon-e-Nisyan (MJN) is a polyherbal Unani formulation used in the treatment of amnesia. It contains five constituent herbs Kundur (Boswellia serrate Roxb.), Waj (Acorus calamus L.), Saad Koofi (Cyperus rotundus L.), FilfilSiyah (Piper nigrum L.), Zanjabeel (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) made in Asl-asli (honey). In this paper, we have identified five biomarker compounds, one from each constituent herb, viz., (α + β) boswellic acid, β-asarone, luteolin, 6-gingerol and piperine, and developed an LC-MS/MS method for their simultaneous determination in MJN formulation. Further, the developed method was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity, specificity and sensitivity according to ICH guidelines. We found that the linearity of each calibration curve displayed r2 value not less than 0.99, the intra- and interday precisions showed RSD in the range of 0.7–1.0 and 1.0–2.9%, respectively. We achieved recovery of each marker compound in the range of 87.5–94.1%. Moreover, the limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be in the range of 0.3 to 5 ng/mL. Finally, the developed method was applied to quantify the marker compounds in MJN formulation. Our method successfully quantified (α + β) boswellic acid, β-asarone, luteolin, 6-gingerol and piperine as 0.973 ± 0.009, 0.093 ± 0.004, 0.003 ± 0.001, 0.0256 ± 0.002 and 0.0266 ± 0.008 mg/g of MJN formulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported method for the simultaneous determination of (α + β) boswellic acid, β-asarone, luteolin, 6-gingerol and piperine in MJN formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum race 4 differs from race 1 in being pathogenic on ginger (Zingiber officinale). Here, we used a comparative genomic analysis to predict the genes associated with this specificity of race 4 on ginger. Forty-six orthologous gene groups were found to be specific to race 4, including pathogenicity-related genes encoding polygalacturonase, type III effector, and efflux pump. Additionally, most race-4-specific genes clustered on the genomic islands in megaplasmid, suggesting these genes were introduced to the ancestry strain through horizontal transfer. This study adds to our understanding of the coevolution of R. pseudosolanacearum with hosts and the mechanisms that underlie its host specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger essential oil (GEO) nanobactericides were developed to suppress the growth of Erwinia chrysanthemi (syn Dickeya zeae) which causes bacterial heart rot disease in pineapple. This research focus is on the application of GEO-nanobactericide to suppress the growth of the pathogen in vitro and in vivo. Oil in water (O/W) GEO-nanobactericides was prepared by low energy method using ginger essential oils, Tween 80, and water. Physicochemical parameters such as particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, antibacterial activity and disease suppression using developed nanobactericide were investigated. Furthermore, the effects of GEO-nanobactericide on the bacterial cell structure were examined using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The results of the physicochemical characterizations showed that the smallest particle size was 8.4 nm, the zeta potential value was -23.7 mV, and PDI was 0.13. The results of the in vitro study on the evaluation of the efficacy of nanobactericide against E. chrysanthemi were 31.2 and 62.5 µL/mL as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), respectively. Based on the modes of action studied using TEM, the GEO-nanobacteriacide disrupted the cytoplasmic membrane and caused the cell membrane to lose its integrity which increased its permeability. The efficacy of 1xMIC, 2xMIC, and 3xMIC of the nanobactericide were examined in the glasshouse study. Findings revealed that treatment T3 (Er + 3xMIC GEO nanobactericide) was the most effective treatment based on the suppression of the disease, with AUDPC value of 614.95 unit2, disease reduction of 50.01%, and protection index of 32.47%. These findings revealed that developed GEO-nanobactericide had effectively suppressed the growth of E. chrysanthemi and ultimately control the disease in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent trends in the consumption of herbal-based food products suggest that consumers are increasingly seeking out natural, safe, and nutritious goods, and promote the use of herbal-based items for health and illness treatment. Numerous studies have shown that certain combinations of spices and herbs, such as clove, thyme, cinnamon, rosemary, ginger, fennel, anise, licorice, chicory, etc., have nutritional and bioactive benefits and utilized in the form of herbal teas. However, information about herbal tea mixed with bay leaves, is scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop a ginger and stevia-infused herbal tea made from bay leaves as well as to assess the physicochemical and antioxidant capacity of composite tea. Four formulations containing 0.5 g of stevia leaf powder were made using various amounts of bay leaves and ginger. The phytochemical analysis of herbal tea infusion revealed that TB3 had highest TPC, TFC, DPPH activity and FRAP in a value of 132.7 mg GAE/g, 45.017 mg QE/g, 81.277 µg/mL and 0.83 mg TE/g DW, respectively. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) showed maximum concentration of Ca, K, Fe and Zn (305.9, 87.11, 66.24 and 14.13 mg/100 g, respectively) in TB3. Color properties were changed directly with increasing the proportion of bay leaves as L* was reduced (76.24–57.38) while a* (0.7–6.46) and b* (19.6–18.74) reduced significantly. Organoleptic profile of TB3 was highly liked by the judges as compared to other composite formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to investigate the potential effect of the dietary ginger Zingiber officinale supplement on the gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata growth performance, antioxidant response, plasma parameters and flesh quality. Four experimental diets were designed containing different levels of ginger powder: 0 (control), 0.4, 0.8 and 2%. Fish were fed a control or one of the supplemented diets for 60 days. Our results showed that treatments with the highest levels of ginger (2%) improve hepatic antioxidative abilities by increasing the liver catalase activity (CAT) and reducing thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Moreover, our results demonstrated that plasma cholesterol (CHO) and triglyceride (TG) contents were significantly lower in fish fed 2% supplemented diet and that the bactericidal activity against Flexibacter maritimus as pathogenic bacterium was significantly enhanced by the dietary intake of the ginger in all treated groups. However, the growth performance and the flesh quality showed no difference among the ginger treatments and control group. In conclusion, dietary Z. officinale powder at the rate of 2% could be used as a feed additive to improve the antioxidant and antibacterial defenses in the gilthead sea bream farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shampoo ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) is a multipurpose ginger that has confirmed their role as food, medicine, and for decorative purposes. The rhizome possesses zerumbone, curcuminoids, and other bioactive molecules that play crucial roles in treating several human diseases. To date, several reports are existing on the in vitro biotechnology of Z. zerumbet. The present review highlights the consolidated clarification and comprehensive explanation of in vitro biotechnological implications based on plant tissue culture for the improvement of Z. zerumbet. Studies on biotechnological involvement in shampoo ginger were primarily emphasized in the study of the last 3 decades, for instance, in vitro regeneration, micro-rhizome production, callus culture, somatic embryogenesis, ex vitro establishment, and molecular assessment of in vitro-raised clones. Moreover, this review provides insights into different in vitro culture systems and endophytes involvement in the production of secondary metabolites. This review will assist for advanced research areas related to in vitro manipulation of shampoo ginger, especially for the commercial cultivation of secondary metabolites rich clones of Z. zerumbet. Moreover, it will provide an insight into crop upgrading and breeding programs of this underutilized, aromatic, and medicinal plant for amended yield and quality. Key points: • Z. zerumbet is an aromatic spice and an ornamental • This review comprehensively assesses Z. zerumbet tissue culture • Key shortcomings and future directions of Z. zerumbet biotechnology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger is an important spice crop with medicinal values and gingerols are the most abundant pungent polyphenols present in ginger, responsible for most of its pharmacological properties. The present study focuses on the molecular mechanism of gingerol biosynthesis in ginger using transcriptome analysis. Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) was done in leaf and rhizome tissues using high gingerol-producing ginger somaclone B3 as the tester and parent cultivar Maran as the driver and generated high-quality leaf and rhizome Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs). The Blast2GO annotations of the ESTs revealed the involvement of leaf ESTs in secondary metabolite production, identifying the peroxisomal KAT2 gene (Leaf EST 9) for the high gingerol production in ginger. Rhizome ESTs mostly coded for DNA metabolic processes and differential genes for high gingerol production were not observed in rhizomes. In the qRT-PCR analysis, somaclone B3 had shown high chalcone synthase (CHS: rate-limiting gene in gingerol biosynthetic pathway) activity (0.54 fold) in the leaves of rhizome sprouts. The presence of a high gingerol gene in leaf ESTs and high expression of CHS in leaves presumed that the site of synthesis of gingerols in ginger is the leaves. A modified pathway for gingerol/polyketide backbone formation has been constructed explaining the involvement of KAT gene isoforms KAT2 and KAT5 in gingerol/flavonoid biosynthesis, specifically the KAT2 gene which is otherwise thought to be involved mainly in β-oxidation. The results of the present investigations have the potential of utilizing KAT/thiolase superfamily enzymes for protein/metabolic pathway engineering in ginger for large-scale production of gingerols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), and inulin on the probiotic biomass and its probiotic properties were studied for thermally acclimatized Lactobacillus helveticus (H-45) and Lacticaseibacillus casei N (N-45) strains at 45 ℃ using adaptive laboratory evolution method. Among the prebiotics studied, GOS was found to be more suitable for synbiotic preparation. The tolerance of lactobacilli cultures H-45 and N-45 in the presence of acid and bile were 4.79 and 8.60% and 2.84 and 4.65% higher than their wild-type strains (H-37 and N-37). Similarly, H-45 and N-45 showed an increase in survivability of 5.29 and 8.63% under simulated gastric conditions and 9.21 and 7.70% under simulated intestinal conditions than H-37 and N-37. Propionic acid yield increased by 0.65-fold in N-45 compared to N-37 in the presence of GOS as a prebiotic, whereas H-37 showed 0.26-fold higher propionic acid production than H-45. Thermally acclimatized strain N-45 showed better survivability under stress conditions than H-45. The synbiotic combination of N45 + GOS was spray-dried using corn starch (CS) as carrier material to obtain spray-dried synbiotic powder (N45 + CS + GOS). This synbiotic powder was added to the ready-to-drink (RTD) fruit drinks prepared from five fruit-flavoured squashes (pineapple, orange, grape, mango, and lemon ginger). The varied amounts of added synbiotic powder did not significantly alter the physicochemical properties of the fruit drinks. Hence, synbiotic formulation N45 + GOS + CS may find application in developing various functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drying of fruits, vegetables, ginger, tea, coffee, fish flesh, and herbs can be accomplished with a solar tunnel dryer. It was mathematically modeled for drying ginger products. The solar tunnel dryer comprises of a transparent UV-stabilized plastic-coated chamber and a flat plate solar collector covered in glass. An exhaust fan with solar photovoltaic modules is provided to evacuate the moist air from the dryer. The designed dryer has length, and width area of 8.5, 2 m, and 11 m2, respectively. The average daily efficiency of the solar collector over eight hours was about 32%. The dryer can dry 50 kg of ginger per batch. The ginger has a starting moisture content of 90.4% (w.b) and the ultimate moisture level is about 11.8% (w.b). Ginger was selected because it is a major agricultural commodity in Ethiopia, where it is utilized both fresh and dried forms. The dried ginger is utilized for commercial applications. It is used as a local medication and as a flavoring spice in most families. It is quite important in the country's traditional eating patterns. The ginger was sliced into average length of 9.5 cm, thickness of 1.5–2 mm, and a weight of 7.5–9.2 g pieces. The design improved the Cost of fuel and electricity saved per season. A non-linear regression analysis was used to develop drying models for ginger. The models were compared using the correlation coefficient (R2), the residual sum square (RSS), and standard error of estimates (SEE) analysis to determine the one that best represented the thin layer drying characteristics of ginger. The results show that the Page model satisfactorily described the drying of ginger with R2 of 0.995, the Standard error of estimate (SEE) is 0.003 and the residual sum square (RSS) is also 0.006. The drying time of the dryer is 3.33 days. The overall efficiency of the dryer is about 36%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrolein is the main toxic metabolite of ifosfamide (IFO) that causes urothelial damage by oxidative stress and inflammation. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism of action of gingerols, Zingiber officinale bioactive molecules, as an alternative treatment for ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. Female Swiss mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: control; IFO; IFO + Mesna; and IFO + [8]- or [10]-gingerol. Mesna (80 mg/kg, i.p.) was given 5 min before, 4 and 8 h after IFO (400mg/kg, i.p.). Gingerols (25 mg/kg, p.o.) were given 1 h before and 4 and 8 h after IFO. Animals were euthanized 12 h after IFO injection. Bladders were submitted to macroscopic and histological evaluation. Oxidative stress and inflammation were assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) or myeloperoxidase assays, respectively. mRNA gene expression was performed to evaluate mesna and gingerols mechanisms of action. Mesna was able to protect bladder tissue by activating NF-κB and NrF2 pathways. However, we demonstrated that gingerols acted as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent stimulating the expression of IL-10, which intracellularly activates JAK/STAT/FOXO signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]