[6]-gingerol as a cancer chemopreventive agent: a review of its activity on different steps of the metastatic process.

For many years, ginger or ginger root, the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, has been consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. Several studies have been conducted on the medicinal properties of ginger against various disorders, including cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death, and chemoprevention is defined as the use of natural or synthetic substances to prevent cancer initiation or progression. Evidence that ginger-derived compounds have inhibitory effects on various cancer cell types is increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. In this review we focused on the cancer chemopreventive effects of [6]-gingerol, the major pungent component of ginger, and its impact on different steps of the metastatic process.