Abstract

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON SOME PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ZINGIBER OFFICINALE

Jim Amisi*, Francis Kanayo Okwuasaba and Kennedy Iliya Amagon

Abstract

Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) is one of the most common plants used for food and for medicinal purposes. There is scanty data on the possible effect of temperature on the efficacy and/ or toxicity of the ethanolic extract of ginger. The present study was to evaluate the effect of temperature on the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of ginger. The extracts did not show significant differences (P> 0.05) in both their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity at the temperatures of 26°C, 50°C and 100°C. However, at 100°C, ginger had no antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli compared with the inhibitory activity at 26°C and 50°C. Ginger extracted at 26°C demonstrated significant (P< 0.05) antioxidant effect while ginger extracted at 100°C had no antioxidant activity compared to control (P> 0.05). This study has demonstrated that temperature affects the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Zingiber Officinale but not the anti-inflammatory activity. This temperature dependent decrease in the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ginger may be due to the degradation of the thermally labile gingerols present in Zingiber officinale to shogaols.

Keywords: Zingiber officinale, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, Temperature.