[6]-Gingerol-induced cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species generation, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential are associated with apoptosis in human gastric cancer (AGS) cells (Publication with Expression of Concern)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a monocotyledonous herb, is widely used as an herbal medicine owing to the phytoconstituents it possesses. In the current study, the quantity of [6]-gingerol, the major phenolic ketone, in the fresh ginger and dried ginger rhizome was found to be 6.11 mu g/mg and 0.407 mu g/mg. Furthermore, [6]-gingerol was assessed for its antiapoptotic effects in human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells evidenced by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining technique and Annexin-V assay. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation led to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and subsequent induction of apoptosis. Results disclose that perturbations in MMP are associated with deregulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio at protein level, which leads to upregulation of cytochrome-c triggering the caspase cascade. These enduringly suggest that [6]-gingerol can be effectively used for targeting the mitochondrial energy metabolism to manage gastric cancer cells.