[6]‐Gingerol–induced cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species generation, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential are associated with apoptosis in human gastric cancer (AGS) cells

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a monocotyledonous herb, is widely used as an herbal medicine owing to the phytoconstituents it possesses. In the current study, the quantity of [6]‐gingerol, the major phenolic ketone, in the fresh ginger and dried ginger rhizome was found to be 6.11 µg/mg and 0.407 µg/mg. Furthermore, [6]‐gingerol was assessed for its antiapoptotic effects in human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells evidenced by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining technique and Annexin‐V assay. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation led to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and subsequent induction of apoptosis. Results disclose that perturbations in MMP are associated with deregulation of Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio at protein level, which leads to upregulation of cytochrome‐c triggering the caspase cascade. These enduringly suggest that [6]‐gingerol can be effectively used for targeting the mitochondrial energy metabolism to manage gastric cancer cells.