Research Finds that Ginger Inhibits Ovarian Tumors

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancer affecting women. Five-year survival rates are low, and treatment that includes surgery and chemotherapy has limited benefit, while side effects can be harsh. Therefore, research continues into treatment that will improve patient prognosis and reduce the side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy drugs. In countries where diets are high in plant-derived foods like ginger, garlic, soy, chilies, and green tea, the rates of many types of cancer are lower than in the United States. Several studies have shown that the compounds in ginger root have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic activity. The authors of a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine hypothesized that ginger may inhibit the growth of ovarian tumor cells. To test their hypothesis in the lab, the authors treated ovarian cancer cells with ginger extract. What they found was that ginger may prove to be a valuable dietary factor in both prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is still poorly understood by the medical community. Some biomedical researchers believe that ovulation, a natural inflammatory process, may play a role in the development of cancer of the ovaries. Research has shown that conditions within ovarian cells that lead to cancer are likely regulated by the protein complex NF-kB (nuclear factor-kappa B), and that this pathway may be a good target for development of new cancer therapies. This study evaluated the effect of ginger on the activation of NF-kB in ovarian cancer cells. The study utilized four different cell lines originally obtained from ovarian cancer patients. Two of these were chemotherapy-resistant cell lines.

Ginger root extract was applied to cells for varied periods of time. A wide range of extract concentrations were tested. Results showed that treatment with ginger extract inhibited the growth of ovarian tumor cells. Lower dosages were not as effective in some of the cell lines. The authors also found that treatment with ginger extract significantly inhibited NF-kB activation, as well as expression of some of the growth factors found in high levels in some ovarian tumors. To determine which of the component compounds in ginger were most effective, cells were treated with the compounds 6-, 8-, and 10-gingerol, and 6-shogaol. The gingerol compounds had no effect on the viability of cancer cells, while 6-shogaol showed significant inhibition of ovarian tumor cell growth. When 6-shogaol was removed from the test media, tumor cell growth resumed.

The authors concluded that treatment with ginger extract inhibits growth of ovarian cancer cells, NF-kB activation, and secretion of tumor growth factors. These results imply that ginger, when used alone, or in combination with traditional cancer therapies, may have the potential to play an important role in altering the progress of ovarian cancer. The authors suggest that further study in an animal model could be the next step in development of a ginger-derived therapeutic agent against cancer. The results of this study are a new addition to the growing body of evidence that in the fight against cancer, a diet high in plant-derived compounds can be one of your most powerful allies.

Reference

Rhode, J., Fogoros, S., Zick, S., Wahl, H., Griffith, K., Huang, J., Liu, R.
Ginger inhibits cell growth and modulates angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/7/44/abstract