Investigation on the Anticancer Activity of [6]-Gingerol of Zingiber officinale and its Structural Analogs against Skin Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the epidermis and the outermost skin layer.

Aim: This study aimed to study the anti-skin cancer potential of [6]-Gingerol and 21 related structural analogs using in vitro</i> and in silico</i> studies.

Methods: The ethanolic crude extract of the selected plant was subjected to phytochemical and GC-MS analysis to confirm the presence of the [6]-gingerol. The anticancer activity of the extract was evaluated by MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-y]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay using the A431 human skin adenocarcinoma cell line.

Results: The GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of [6]-Gingerol compound, and its promising cytotoxicity IC₅₀ was found at 81.46 ug/ml in the MTT assay. Furthermore, the in silico studies used [6]-Gingerol and 21 structural analogs collected from the PubChem database to investigate the anticancer potential and drug-likeliness properties. Skin cancer protein, DDX3X, was selected as a target that regulates all stages of RNA metabolism. It was docked with 22 compounds, including [6]-Gingerol and 21 structural analogs. The potent lead molecule was selected based on the lowest binding energy value.

Conclusion: Thus, the [6]-Gingerol and its structure analogs could be used as lead molecules against skin cancer and future drug development process.

Keywords: Skin cancer; Zingiber officinale; [6]-Gingerol; anticancer; lead compounds; molecular docking.