Toxicological Evaluation of Zingiber purpureum Extract and Its Effects on Gut Microbiota in Zebrafish.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
- 2Zebrafish-Based Research in Aging Biology and Microbiome (ZAM) Laboratory, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
- 3Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
- 4Graduate Program in Toxicology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Abstract
Zingiber purpureum Roscoe (Phlai) is renowned in Southeast Asia for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities, yet its safety and effects on gut health in vivo are not well characterized. This study investigated the biological effects of ethanolic-soluble Phlai extract (ESPE) in zebrafish (Danio rerio), focusing on chemical marker standardization in phenylbutanoids and cucurminoids, developmental toxicity, gut microbiota investigation, and tissue histopathology. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to ESPE to assess toxicity while adult females received an ESPE-enriched diet containing 20 mg ESPE/g diet (2% w/w) for 14 days. Post-treatment analyses included intestinal and multi-organ histology, and 16S rRNA sequencing for microbiome profiling. HPLC analysis confirmed that ESPE contained 9.91% (w/w) of (E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)butadiene (DMPBD) and 0.49% (w/w) curcumin. The 96-h LC50 for embryos was 45.54 µg/mL. In adults, ESPE improved gut health, as shown by greater mucosal thickness, increased goblet cells, and enhanced enterocyte organization. Microbiome analysis showed that overall gut microbial alpha diversity and beta diversity did not differ significantly between groups. However, exploratory differential abundance analysis identified differences in the relative abundance of specific genera in the ESPE-treated group, including Crenobacter, Cellvibrio, Pseudaeromonas, and Starkeya. Muscle tissue demonstrated healthy myofibril regeneration without fibrosis. ESPE was well tolerated, enhanced intestinal function, and without systemic toxicity. These findings support the potential of ESPE as a bioactive extract for further investigation of intestinal health and safety in translational pharmacology applications.
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BibTeX
@article{charoenchon2026toxicological,
title = {{Toxicological Evaluation of Zingiber purpureum Extract and Its Effects on Gut Microbiota in Zebrafish.}},
author = {Nisamanee Charoenchon and Porntipa Korprasertthaworn and Jitima Thammavoharnkul and Nattanan Kiatsurayanon and Phannamon Prathomthong and Donruethai Chimmanee and Athisri Sitthipunya},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198684},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883929},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Toxicological Evaluation of Zingiber purpureum Extract and Its Effects on Gut Microbiota in Zebrafish.
AU - Nisamanee Charoenchon
AU - Porntipa Korprasertthaworn
AU - Jitima Thammavoharnkul
AU - Nattanan Kiatsurayanon
AU - Phannamon Prathomthong
AU - Donruethai Chimmanee
AU - Athisri Sitthipunya
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - International journal of molecular sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198684
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883929
AB - Zingiber purpureum Roscoe (Phlai) is renowned in Southeast Asia for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities, yet its safety and effects on gut health in vivo are not well characterized. This study investigated the biological effects of ethanolic-soluble Phlai extract (ESPE) in zebrafish (Danio rerio), focusing on chemical marker standardization in phenylbutanoids and cucurminoids, developmental toxicity, gut microbiota investigation, and tissue histopathology. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to ESPE to assess toxicity while adult females received an ESPE-enriched diet containing 20 mg ESPE/g diet (2% w/w) for 14 days. Post-treatment analyses included intestinal and multi-organ histology, and 16S rRNA sequencing for microbiome profiling. HPLC analysis confirmed that ESPE contained 9.91% (w/w) of (E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)butadiene (DMPBD) and 0.49% (w/w) curcumin. The 96-h LC50 for embryos was 45.54 µg/mL. In adults, ESPE improved gut health, as shown by greater mucosal thickness, increased goblet cells, and enhanced enterocyte organization. Microbiome analysis showed that overall gut microbial alpha diversity and beta diversity did not differ significantly between groups. However, exploratory differential abundance analysis identified differences in the relative abundance of specific genera in the ESPE-treated group, including Crenobacter, Cellvibrio, Pseudaeromonas, and Starkeya. Muscle tissue demonstrated healthy myofibril regeneration without fibrosis. ESPE was well tolerated, enhanced intestinal function, and without systemic toxicity. These findings support the potential of ESPE as a bioactive extract for further investigation of intestinal health and safety in translational pharmacology applications.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -