Evaluation of the antioxidant and anti-arthritic potential of Zingiber officinale Rosc. by in vitro and in silico analysis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that leads to joint and bone destruction. The available anti-inflammatory chemo drugs are associated with adverse side-effects providing only temporary relief. Herbal medicine can act as an alternative source for RA treatment with improved efficacy, lesser toxicity and side effects. An attempt was made to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-arthritic potential of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.). Crude ginger extracts were prepared with different organic solvents using soxhlet approach. The extracts were assessed for their anti-oxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS and nitric oxide radical inhibition assays and anti-arthritic activity through membrane stabilization assay, anti-proteinase activity and protein denaturation inhibition assays. The highest scavenging potential was exhibited by Z. officinale methanolic extract (ZOME) as assessed by DPPH assay (86.26 ± 0.97%), ABTS assay (91.04 ± 0.96%) and nitric oxide assay (86.72 ± 1.51%). Similarly, the ZOME showed 84.72 ± 1.38% of inhibition in membrane stabilization assay, 82.72 ± 1.48% in anti-proteinase activity and 81.68 ± 1.66% in protein denaturation inhibition capacity. GC-MS analysis of ZOME showed 30 different phytoconstituents. The major ginger bioactive compounds were virtually docked with novel RA targets using PyRx and the pharmacokinetic properties like ADMET properties were evaluated. Among all, 8-Gingerol showed the highest covalent interaction along with suitable binding affinity to the RA targets of COX-II (−7.2), TNF-α (−4.7), MCSF (−5.0), IL-1β (−5.7) and MMP9 (−6.7) kcal/mol. 8-Gingerol can be a better drug candidate that must be further investigated for mechanistic studies to verify its therapeutic potential in treating RA.