The Antioxidant Effects of Ginger Extract on Bioavailability and Oxidative Stress-induced Apoptosis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Human Adipose Tissue and Rat Bone Marrow

Proliferate potential differentiate into different cell lineages and high self-renewal of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs); thus, they are ideal tools for regenerative medicine. However, a leading problem is an oxidative stress in the target tissue and the apoptosis of transplanted stem cells before tissue repair. The pretreatment of stem cells with antioxidants may make them resistant to oxidative stress. Ginger is the main medicinal plant with antioxidant properties. This study explored the antioxidant effects of ginger extract on bioavailability and oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and rat bone marrow examined. 

In this study, human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and rat bone marrow were cultured in a DMEM medium with 20% FBS. The explored cells were incubated for 4 and 6 hours for pretreatment with different concentrations of ginger extract (50, 100, 200, & 400 mg/mL); then, they were treated with 200 μM H2O2 for 2 hours. Bioavailability was analyzed by ELISA reader using an MTS kit and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry using an Annexin V-FITC/PI kit into the manufacturer’s protocol at both times. The obtained data were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using SPSS. 

This study was approved by the Ethics Research Committee of Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University (Code: IR.IAU.SHK.REC.1397.028).

 The MTS results indicated a dose- and time-dependent manner increase in the bioavailability of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal treated stem cells. Ginger extract treatment also dose- and time-dependently decreased the rate of apoptosis in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. 

 Ginger extract, by reducing the oxidative stress in mesenchymal stem cells, elevates their lifespan in the target tissue, and increases the efficiency of these cells in tissue regeneration.