New research has found that ginger neutralizes certain autoimmune diseases in mice

Naturopathic medicine, or herbal medicine, is in vogue, especially among young people. But how much of it is supported by science?

Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, making it a popular herbal supplement to treat inflammatory diseases.

And according to a study conducted by Michigan Medicine published in JCI Insight, the main bioactive compound in ginger root, 6-gingerol, is therapeutic to combat the mechanism that feeds certain autoimmune diseases in mice. The researchers looked specifically at lupus, a disease that attacks the body’s own immune system, and its condition often associated with antiphospholipid syndrome, which causes blood clots, as both cause widespread inflammation and damage organs over time.

In mice with antiphospholipid syndrome or lupus, 6-gingerol prevented the release of an extracellular neutrophil trap, which is triggered by the autoantibodies produced by these diseases.

“The extracellular traps of neutrophils, or NETs, ​​come from white blood cells called neutrophils,” said lead author Ramadan Ali, Ph.D. “These sticky spider-like structures are formed when autoantibodies interact with receptors in neutrophil surface. “

According to Ali, these webs play an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome, where they trigger the formation of autoantibodies and contribute to blood clotting and damage.

The study question was, “Will the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger extend to neutrophils and, specifically, can this natural medicine prevent neutrophils from making NETs that contribute to disease progression?”

“This preclinical study in mice offers a surprising and exciting ‘yes’,” said Ali.

There he found that, after giving 6-gingerol, the mice had lower levels of NETs. Its tendency to form clots was also drastically reduced, and 6-gingerol appeared to inhibit neutrophilic enzymes called phosphodiesterases, which in turn reduced neutrophil activation.

But the most surprising finding of all was that the mice, regardless of whether they had antiphospholipid syndrome or lupus, had reduced autoantibodies suggesting the inflammatory cycle, autoantibodies stimulating NETs that stimulate more autoantibodies, was broken down.

Next steps and potential implications

“During my years of medical training, I was not taught much about supplements, but it is something that so many patients ask me,” says study author and rheumatologist Jason Knight, MD. “When Ramadan brought the concept to me, I was excited to do it in my lab, because I knew it would be important to them. Sometimes, our patients give us really good ideas!”

Although the study was done on mouse models, Ali and Knight believe that the preclinical data, showing that 6-gingerol has anti-neutrophil properties that can protect against the progression of autoimmune diseases, encourage the development of clinical tests.

“As for basically all treatments in our field, one size does not fit all. But, I wonder if there is a subgroup of autoimmune patients with hyperactive neutrophils that can benefit from increased intake of 6-gingerol,” said Knight . “It will be important to study neutrophils before and after treatment so that we can determine the subgroup most likely to see the benefit.”

The bioactive compound may not be the primary therapy for someone with active antiphospholipid syndrome or lupus, but the team is interested in seeing if the natural supplement can help those at high risk of developing disease.

“Those who have autoantibodies, but have no activated disease, can benefit from this treatment if 6-gingerol proves to be a protective agent in humans as well as in mice,” said Ali, who is passionate about research in natural medicine for rheumatic diseases.

“Patients with active disease take anticoagulants, but what if there was also a natural supplement that would help to reduce the amount of clots they produce? What if we could decrease their autoantibodies?”