Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug and is widely used to treat various cancers, but several side effects have been reported in treated patients. Among these, anorexia is one of the most severe secondary effects. Anorexia is an eating diso...
Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug and is widely used to treat various cancers, but several side effects have been reported in treated patients. Among these, anorexia is one of the most severe secondary effects. Anorexia is an eating disorder accompanied by loss of appetite and weight loss. In this study, single oral injection of 100 or 500 mg/kg of ginger extract showed a significant improvement in food intake reduction induced by cisplatin. However, the reduction in body weight and water intake observed in the 100 mg/kg group of rats was reversed. To understand the underlying mechanism of action, the study investigated serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HT2C, 3A, and 4 receptors in the nodose ganglia of the vagus nerve. As a result, increased serotonin levels by cisplatin in both blood and nodose ganglion tissues were significantly reduced by 100 and 500 mg/kg of ginger extract administration. In the 5-HT receptor, 5-HT3A and 4, but not 2C receptors, were affected by cisplatin. And 100 and 500 mg/kg ginger extract succeeded in down-regulating the evoked up-regulated gene expression of these receptors. Protein expression of 5-HT3A and 4 receptors was also reduced in the 100 mg/kg group. Furthermore, the injection of 5- HT3A, and 4 receptor antagonists (palonosetron, 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.; piboserod, 1 mg/kg, i.p., respectively) in cisplatin treated rats prevented the decrease in food intake. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol as the major components of ginger, comprising 4.12% and 2.15% of the ginger extract, respectively. Although [6]-gingerol or [6]-shogaol alone failed to alleviate the evoked anorexia, but when treated together, the effect was significant on reduced food intake due to cisplatin. These results show that ginger extract can be considered as a treatment option to alleviate anorexia caused by cisplatin.