Chen GQ, Nan Y, Huang SC, Ning N, Du YH, Lu DD, Yang YT, Meng FD, Yuan L. Research progress of ginger in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2023; 15(11): 1835-1851 [PMID: 38077642 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i11.1835]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ling Yuan, PhD, Professor, College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical College, No. 1160 Shengli Street, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. 20080017@nxmu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Nov 15, 2023; 15(11): 1835-1851 Published online Nov 15, 2023. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i11.1835
Research progress of ginger in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors
Guo-Qing Chen, Yi Nan, Shi-Cong Huang, Na Ning, Yu-Hua Du, Dou-Dou Lu, Ya-Ting Yang, Fan-Di Meng, Ling Yuan
Guo-Qing Chen, Shi-Cong Huang, Na Ning, Yu-Hua Du, Ling Yuan, College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical College, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Yi Nan, Key Laboratory of Ningxia Ethnomedicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Yi Nan, Ya-Ting Yang, Fan-Di Meng, Traditional Chinese Medicine College, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Dou-Dou Lu, School of Clinical Medicine College, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Chen GQ wrote the paper; Chen GQ and Nan Y drew the figures; Huang SC, Ning N, Du YH, Lu DD, Yang YT, and Meng FD collected the data; Yuan L made critical revisions of this paper; All authors contributed to the original ideas and writing of this paper.
Supported by"Young Scholars of Western China"(Class A)_West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. XAB2019AW13; Ningxia Natural Science Foundation, No. 2022AAC02039.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare having no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ling Yuan, PhD, Professor, College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical College, No. 1160 Shengli Street, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. 20080017@nxmu.edu.cn
Received: July 9, 2023 Peer-review started: July 9, 2023 First decision: September 6, 2023 Revised: September 15, 2023 Accepted: September 27, 2023 Article in press: September 27, 2023 Published online: November 15, 2023
Abstract
Cancer seriously endangers human health. Gastrointestinal cancer is the most common and major malignant tumor, and its morbidity and mortality are gradually increasing. Although there are effective treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors, they are often accompanied by serious side effects. According to the traditional Chinese medicine and food homology theory, many materials are both food and medicine. Moreover, food is just as capable of preventing and treating diseases as medicine. Medicine and food homologous herbs not only have excellent pharmacological effects and activities but also have few side effects. As a typical medicinal herb with both medicinal and edible uses, some components of ginger have been shown to have good efficacy and safety against cancer. A mass of evidence has also shown that ginger has anti-tumor effects on digestive tract cancers (such as gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, laryngeal cancer, and pancreatic cancer) through a variety of pathways. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of action of the main components of ginger and their potential clinical applications in treating gastrointestinal tumors.
Core Tip: The incidence and mortality rates of gastrointestinal tumors have been increasing steadily over the years. However, the side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy have been a major concern for patients. Ginger, a traditional herb known for its medicinal and food homology, has been found to possess anti-tumor properties against various types of gastrointestinal tumors. This article reviews the current research advancements on ginger’s role in treating gastrointestinal tumors. The findings of this review are expected to pave the way for new research directions and inspire innovative ideas for utilizing natural drugs in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors.
