Nanoformulation of gingerol and investigation of its cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell lines

Ginger is one of the commonly used spices that has been exhibited to have pharmaceutical activities. These therapeutic properties are mainly attribute to gingerols and shogaols. In this study, the bioactive compounds of ginger rhizome were extracted. Silica gel column chromatography was employed to isolate gingerol. Gingerol obtained with acceptable purity. In order to enhance gingerol bioavailability, chitosan nanoparticles containing gingerol were prepared. Encapsulation efficiency was 80%. AFM and DLS analysis were performed to evaluate size and size distribution of nanoparticles. Results show that the nanoparticles have spherical morphology, narrow size distribution with average particle size of 21.11 nm. Cellular toxicity of nanoparticles in MCF-7 cell line was calculated using MTT method. The results indicate that chitosan nanoparticles containing gingerol, have good inhibitory effect on the growth of cancer cells. The nanoparticles eliminated 90% of cancer cells in 48 hours.