Ginger and 6-shogaol protect intestinal tight junction and enteric dopaminergic neurons against 1-methyl-4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in mice

Abstract

Objective: Ginger and its compound, 6-shogaol, have been known for improving gastrointestinal (GI) function and reducing inflammatory responses in GI tract. Recently, the treatment of GI dysfunction has been recognized as an important part of the management of neurodegenerative diseases, especially for Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we investigated whether ginger and 6-shogaol attenuate disruptions induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on the intestinal barrier and the enteric dopaminergic neurons.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice received MPTP (30 mg/kg) for 5 days to induce GI alterations. Ginger (30, 100, 300 mg/kg) and 6-shogaol (10 mg/kg) were treated by gavage feeding for 15 days including the period of MPTP injection.

Results: Ginger and 6-shogaol protected intestinal tight junction proteins disrupted by MPTP in mouse colon. In addition, ginger and 6-shogaol suppressed the increase of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, TNF-α and IL-1β activated by macrophage. Moreover, ginger and 6-shogaol suppressed the MPTP-induced enteric dopaminergic neuronal damage via increasing the cell survival signaling pathway.

Conclusion: These results indicate that ginger and 6-shogaol restore the disruption of intestinal integrity and enteric dopaminergic neurons in an MPTP-injected mouse PD model by inhibiting the processes of inflammation and apoptosis, suggesting that they may attenuate the GI dysfunction in PD patients.

Keywords:

• Ginger
• 6-shogaol
• Parkinson’s disease
• Intestinal barrier
• Enteric dopaminergic neuron
• 1-methyl-4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

Disclaimer statements

Contributors E. Huh, H. Kim and M. S. Oh designed and coordinated this study. E. Huh performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. J. G. Choi injected MPTP to mouse for establishing PD animal model and supported the experiments. D. Noh and J. Ryu confirmed and helped data analysis. H. S. Yoo and N. J. Kim provided the 6-shogaol.

Funding This study was supported by grants from Medical Research Center Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (grant number NRF-2017R1A5A2014768) and Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET) through High Value-added Food Technology Development Program, funded by Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) (grant number 318027-04).

Conflict of interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethics approval None

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed 10.1080/1028415X.2018.1520477.

ORCID

Jeewon Ryu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5928-5272