Synergistic Anti-inflammatory Activity of Ginger Extract and Phlai Oil on Lipopolysaccharide-induced Inflammatory Mediators

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the combination of ginger extract and phlai oil on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.Material and Methods: Cell viability, inhibition activity of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were measured in vitro on RAW 264.7 cell cultures stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide.Results: The IC50 values of ginger extract and phlai oil on RAW 264.7 cells were 1.37±0.112 mg/ml and 3.79±0.261 mg/ml, respectively. The production levels of NO, TNF-α and PGE2 was induced by LPS. The inhibition percentages of NO increases in the presence of ginger extract (0.313 mg/ml) and phlai oil (0.625 mg/ml) were 38.22±0.236% and 25.00±0.198% in comparison to the control cells. The combination of ginger extract and phlai oil at a ratio 1:1 w/w exhibited statistically significant inhibitory effects on NO production, having an inhibition percentage of 75.98±0.591%. In the TNF-α assay, an inhibition percentage value of ginger extract (58.74±0.136%) was higher than that of phlai oil (52.13±0.238%), while the combination of ginger extract and phlai oil had the highest inhibitory effect (70.03±0.215%). In the PGE2 assay, the inhibition percentage of the ginger extract-phlai oil combination at a ratio of 1:1 w/w (62.34±0.187%) was higher than those of both ginger extract (18.21±0.132%) and phlai oil (34.80±0.279%).Conclusion: This study provides scientific evidence in support of the efficacy of the combined use of ginger and phlai oil to reduce inflammatory processes.