Study Shows Ginger Can Boost Immunity and Stimulate White Blood Cells

Ginger is known for its stimulating effect on the immune system. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)


Ginger is known for its stimulating effect on the immune system. New results of the Institute of Biology of Food Systems. Leibniz University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) confirm this thesis. In laboratory tests, a small amount of the spicy ginger component caused increased white blood cell alertness. The study also shows that a type of receptor is involved in this process, which plays a role in the perception of painful thermal stimuli and the sensation of spiciness in food.

Whether as a medicinal plant or as a food item, ginger is also becoming more and more popular in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, annual imports of pungent root have nearly quadrupled over the past ten years to around 31,600 tonnes.

However, even though ginger consumption has increased, the question arises whether normal consumption levels are enough to achieve a positive health effect. And if so, what compounds and molecular mechanisms play a role in this.

Ginger compound enters the blood

To clarify these questions, a team led by Veronica Somoza, director of the Leibniz Institute in Freising, Germany, carried out extensive research. The starting point was the result of an earlier pilot study, in which first author Gaby Andersen of Leibniz-LSB@TUM also played a key role.

Similar stories:

Studies show that a significant amount of ginger’s pungent compounds enter the bloodstream approximately 30-60 minutes after drinking one liter of ginger tea. To date, the highest levels have been achieved [6]-gingerol with a plasma concentration of approximately 7 to 17 micrograms per liter.

This spicy compound is known to exert its “taste” effect through the so-called TRPV1 receptor, an ion channel located on the surface of nerve cells that responds to painful thermal stimuli, as well as to the spicy compounds of chili and ginger. Since some studies suggest that white blood cells also possess this receptor, the research team tested whether this receptor is present. [6]-gingerol affects the activity of these immune cells.


The spicy composition stimulates leukocytes

At the first stage, the team was able to detect the receptor on neutrophil granulocytes. These cells make up about two-thirds of white blood cells and serve to fight invading bacteria.

Human leukocytes express TRP-specific transcripts. A) Qualitative PCR analysis of transcripts encoding TRP proteins in primary human blood leukocytes. B) Quantitative PCR analysis of specific transcripts encoding TRP proteins in primary human blood leukocytes. Data are presented as heat maps from q-RT-PCR analysis of up to 10 individual donors. (CREDIT: Breaking Science News)

Further laboratory experiments by the research team also showed that even a very low concentration of almost 15 micrograms [6]-gingerol per liter is enough to put the cells on high alert. Thus, compared with control cells, stimulated cells responded approximately 30% more strongly to the peptide mimicking bacterial infection. The addition of a specific inhibitor of the TRPV1 receptor reversed the effect caused by [6]-gingerol.

“Thus, at least in experiments, very low [6]The concentrations of α-gingerol are sufficient to affect the activity of immune cells via the TRPV1 receptor. In the blood, these concentrations could theoretically be reached by drinking about one liter of ginger tea,” says Gabi Andersen.


Pre-incubation of human neutrophils with [6]-gingerol promotes ROS production upon fMLF stimulation. (CREDIT: Breaking Science News)

“In conclusion, our results support the notion that consumption of normal amounts of ginger may be sufficient to modulate immune system cellular responses. However, at the molecular, epidemiological and medical levels, there are still many unanswered questions that need to be addressed with the help of modern nutrition and health research,” Veronica Somoza concludes.

Pilot training: Schenknecht, K., Andersen, G., Schmidts, I., & Schiberle, P. (2016). Quantification of gingerols in human plasma using newly developed stable isotope dilution assays and evaluation of their immunomodulatory potential. J Agric Food Chem 64, 2269-2279. 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00030. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00030

In a pilot study, subjects drank one liter of ginger tea for 20 minutes on an empty stomach. The tea was prepared as follows: 100 g of fresh Chinese ginger was peeled and ground, brewed with one liter of boiling water and allowed to infuse for 15 minutes. The infusion is then filtered to remove insoluble components. The research team determined the highest mean plasma concentrations for caustic compounds. [6]-, [8]-, And [10]-gingerol (42.0, 5.3 and 4.8 nmol per liter, respectively) approximately 30-60 minutes after the subjects drank ginger tea.

TRPV1 stands for: subfamily V cation channel transient receptor potential (for vanilloid), subtype 1.

To learn more about science and technology, visit our New Discoveries section at The bright side of the news.

Note. Materials provided above by Leibniz-Institut für Lebensmittel-Systembiologie an der TU München. Content can be edited for style and length.

Do you like such pleasant stories? Get Brighter Side of News Newsletter.

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Back to top button