6-gingerol may be useful in the prevention and treatment of alzheimer's disease. - GreenMedInfo Summary
The role of 6-gingerol on inhibiting Amyloidβ-protein-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.
Rejuvenation Res. 2015 Mar 26. Epub 2015 Mar 26. PMID: 25811848
Gao-Feng Zeng
Our previous study suggests that ginger root extract can reverse behavioral dysfunction and prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like symptoms induced by amyloidβ-protein (Aβ) in a rat model. 6-gingerol is the major gingerol in ginger rhizomes, but its effect on the treatment of AD remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine if 6-gingerol had a protective effect on Aβ1-42-induced damage and apoptotic death in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells) and to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which 6-gingerol may exert its neuroprotective effects. Our results indicated that pretreatment with 6-gingerol significantly increased cell viability and reduced cell apoptosis in Aβ1-42-treated cells. Moreover, 6-gingerol pretreatment markedlyreduced the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity compared with the Aβ1-42 treatment group. In addition, 6-gingerol pretreatment also significantly enhanced the protein levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (p-GSK-3β). Overall, these results indicate that 6-jingerol exhibited protective effects on apoptosis induced by Aβ1-42 in cultured PC12 cells by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, suppressing the activation of GSK-3β and enhancing the activation of Akt, thereby exerting neuroprotective effects. Therefore, 6-gingerol may be useful in the prevention and/or treatment of AD.