Main Bioactive Compound of Ginger Root May Protect Against Autoimmune Disease Progression
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Main bioactive compound of ginger root may protect against autoimmune disease progression:
Naturopathic medicine, or herbal medicine, is all the rage, especially among young people. But how much of this is supported by science?
Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, making it a popular herbal supplement to treat inflammatory diseases.
And according to a Michigan Medicine led study published in JCI Insight, the main bioactive compound of ginger root, 6-gingerol, is therapeutic in countering the mechanism that fuels certain autoimmune diseases in mice. Researchers specifically looked at lupus, a disease which attacks the body's own immune system, and its often associated condition antiphospholipid syndrome, which causes blood clots, since both cause widespread inflammation and damage organs overtime.
[...] The study question was, "will the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger extend to neutrophils, and specifically, can this natural medicine stop neutrophils from making [Neutrophil Extracellular Traps, or] NETs that contribute to disease progression?"
"This pre-clinical study in mice offers a surprising and exciting, 'yes'," [lead study author Dr. Ramadan] Ali says.
Journal Reference:
Ramadan A. Ali, Alex A. Gandhi, Lipeng Dai, et al. Anti-neutrophil properties of natural gingerols in models of lupus [open], JCI Insight (DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.138385)
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