Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on gingival fibroblasts: An in vitro study

OBJECTIVES: Ginger, the powdered rhizome of the herb Zingiber officinale, is commonly used as a traditional medicine in many areas around the world. Anti‐inflammatory actions of its extract have been previously reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ginger extract on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and interleukin (IL) expression from human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: HGFs were obtained from subcultures of biopsies from clinically healthy gingival tissues of 10 patients. Ginger extract was prepared from commercial powder of rhizome of Z. officinale (GZO) and its effect on cell viability was assessed using the 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide cytotoxicity assay. Cells were then incubated and treated (except for the control samples) with either GZO, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and GZO before or after LPS stimulation. Culture supernatants of all five samples were collected for the Milliplex analysis to measure MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, IL‐1β, and IL‐8. One‐way analysis of variance and Duncan multiple range tests were used to compare the mean values of all groups. RESULTS: The gingerextract showed minimal cytotoxicity to HGFs even with the maximum tested concentration. Compared to the control group, GZO treatment alone caused little or no effect on the levels of expression of MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, IL‐1β, and IL‐8. While GZO treatment after LPS stimulation significantly reduced the expression of MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐8, MMP‐9, and IL‐8 when compared to LPS alone. Comparing the control to LPS stimulation after GZO treatment, significant differences were detected for all tested MMPs and cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a potential role for ginger extract in inhibiting MMP and IL HGFs' expression in inflamed gingival tissues.