Ginger and Its Pungent Constituents Non-Competitively Inhibit Serotonin Currents on Visceral Afferent Neurons.
10.4196/kjpp.2014.18.2.149
- Author:
Zhenhua JIN
1
;
Goeun LEE
;
Sojin KIM
;
Cheung Seog PARK
;
Yong Seek PARK
;
Young Ho JIN
Author Information
1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. jinyh@khu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
5-HT receptor;
Antiemetic;
Chemotherapy;
Shogaol;
Vagal afferent nerves
- MeSH:
Antiemetics;
Drug Therapy;
Ginger*;
Herbal Medicine;
Humans;
Nausea;
Neurons*;
Neurons, Afferent;
Ondansetron;
Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3;
Serotonin*;
Visceral Afferents*;
Vomiting;
Water
- From:The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
2014;18(2):149-153
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Nausea and emesis are a major side effect and obstacle for chemotherapy in cancer patients. Employ of antiemetic drugs help to suppress chemotherapy-induced emesis in some patients but not all patients. Ginger, an herbal medicine, has been traditionally used to treat various kinds of diseases including gastrointestinal symptoms. Ginger is effective in alleviating nausea and emesis, particularly, for cytotoxic chemotherapy drug-induced emesis. Ginger-mediated antiemetic effect has been attributed to its pungent constituents-mediated inhibition of serotonin (5-HT) receptor activity but its cellular mechanism of action is still unclear. Emetogenic chemotherapy drugs increase 5-HT concentration and activate visceral vagal afferent nerve activity. Thus, 5-HT mediated vagal afferent activation is essential to provoke emesis during chemotherapy. In this experiment, water extract of ginger and its three major pungent constituent's effect on 5-HT-evoked responses were tested on acutely dispersed visceral afferent neurons with patch-clamp methods. The ginger extract has similar effects to antiemetic drug ondansetron by blocking 5-HT-evoked responses. Pungent constituents of the ginger, [6]-shogaol, [6]-gingerol, and zingerone inhibited 5-HT responses in a dose dependent manner. The order of inhibitory potency for these compounds were [6]-shogaol>[6]-gingerol>zingerone. Unlike well-known competitive 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron, all tested ginger constituents acted as non-competitive antagonist. Our results imply that ginger and its pungent constituents exert antiemetic effects by blocking 5-HT-induced emetic signal transmission in vagal afferent neurons.
