Zingiber officinale Roscoe is a very important medicinal plant, with a long history of therapeutic uses, especially in oriental traditional medicine.
Aim: To investigate the cytotoxicity of a fresh ginger extract on some skin tumor cells compared to normal cells.
Material and methods: C32 amelanotic melanoma cell line and CCD human skin fibroblasts were used. The fresh extract obtained by crushing ginger rhizome was examined for phenolic content. The in vitro cytotoxicity was examined using phase contrast microscopy and MTT assay for the concentrations of 2 and 4 mg% total phenols.
Results: Both concentrations used for treatment induced no changes in normal the morphology and viability of fibroblasts compared to control cells. Amelanotic melanoma cells displayed profound changes in cell morphology such as cell shrinkage, rounding-up and membrane blebbing and a decrease in cell viability in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions: Fresh ginger extract induced no changes in normal skin fibroblast viability, but caused profound cytotoxic effects on amelanotic melanoma. These results could encourage further studies regarding the intimate mechanisms of the antitumor action displayed by the fresh ginger extract.