Relaxant and vasoprotective effects of ginger extracts on porcine coronary arteries

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a popular Chinese herbal medicine, which is considered to warm the stomach and dispel cold in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginger is widely used to treat stomach disorders, and it has been reported to exhibit antithrombotic activity via the inhibition of platelet aggregation and thromboxane B2 production in vitro. Cardiovascular disease is associated with the aberrant functioning of the heart and circulatory system; the relatively narrow vessels of the circulation are commonly affected and blocked by atherosclerosis, which may result in angina or heart attack. Numerous drugs and medicines are used to treat myocardial infarction; however, they are often associated with numerous side effects. Therefore, it is important to identify substitutive drugs with no unbearable side effects. In the present study, the relaxant effects of ginger crude extract (GCE) were determined on porcine coronary arteries. The DPPH radical scavenging assay, lucigenin‑enhanced chemiluminescence assay and western blot analysis were used to individually detect antioxidant assay of ginger extraction or superoxide anion produced by endothelial cells and molecular signaling. The results indicated that GCE induced relaxation of porcine coronary arteries in an endothelium‑dependent manner. GCE increased vasoprotection via the suppression of nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase. In addition, GCE possessed antioxidant ability, as determined using 1,1‑diphenyl‑2‑picrylhydrazyl and lucigenin‑enhanced chemiluminescence assays. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that GCE exerts marked vasoprotective effects and free radical‑scavenging activities in porcine coronary arteries.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in the Prevention of Ageing and Degenerative Diseases: Review of Current Evidence

“…This finding was confirmed by a previous study that showed the ability of ginger extract to reduce atherosclerotic lesions in the artery and to reverse the inflammatory cytokine expression and lipid profile induced in mice with atherosclerosis [115]. Another previous in vitro study demonstrated that ginger crude extract induced the relaxation of porcine coronary arteries in an endothelium-dependent manner [116]. Ginger extract was also vasoprotective in coronary arteries through the suppression of the cyclooxygenase pathway and nitric oxide synthase.…”

Bioactive Compounds and Bioactivities of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)

“…Besides, ginger protected against hypertension-derived complications by decreasing platelet adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and increasing the level of adenosine, which prevented platelet aggregation and promoted vasodilation in hypertensive rats [77]. Moreover, ginger extract exhibited vasoprotective effects on porcine coronary arteries by suppressing NO synthase and cyclooxygenase [81]. Furthermore, a cross-sectional study found that the probability of hypertension and coronary heart disease declined when a daily intake of ginger was increased [82].…”

Does ginger supplementation lower blood pressure? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical trials

“…It has also been shown that the consumption of polyphenols limits the development of atheromatous lesions, which is considered a key mechanism in the endothelial lesions occurring in atherosclerosis (Grassi, Desideri, & Ferri, 2010). Furthermore, ginger phenolic compounds have vasodilatory properties, through increasing plasma nitric oxide concentration (Srinivasan, 2017;Wu et al, 2018). Nitric oxide can also reduce the plasma level of proinflammatory cytokines, reduce the platelet aggregation, and improve endothelium function (Puzserova & Bernatova, 2016).…”