Peritoneal adhesions (PAs) occur and develop after abdominal surgery. Abdominal adhesions are common and often develop after abdominal surgery. Currently, there are no effective targeted
pharmacotherapies for treating adhesive disease. In this regard, ginger is wildly used in
traditional medicine because of its anti-inflammatory and
antioxidant effects and has been investigated for peritoneal adhesion treatment. This study analyzed ginger ethanolic extraction via HPLC to have a
6-gingerol concentration. Four groups induced peritoneal adhesion to evaluate ginger's effects on peritoneal adhesion. Then,
ginger extract (50, 150, and 450 mg/kg) was administered by gavage in various groups of male Wistar rats (220 ± 20 g, 6-8 weeks). After scarifying the animals for biological assessment, macroscopic and microscopic parameters were determined via scoring systems and immunoassays in the peritoneal lavage fluid. Next, the adhesion scores and
interleukin IL-6,
IL-10,
tumor necrosis factor-(TNF-) α,
transforming growth factor-(TGF-) β1,
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF), and
malondialdehyde (MDA) were elevated in the control group. The results showed that
ginger extract (450 mg/kg) notably decreased inflammatory (IL-6 and TNF-α),
fibrosis (TGF-β1), anti-inflammatory
cytokine (IL-10), angiogenesis (
VEGF), and oxidative (MDA) factors, while increased
antioxidant factor
glutathione (GSH), compared to the control group. These findings suggest that a hydro-alcoholic extract of ginger is a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for inhibiting adhesion formation. Also, it might be considered a beneficial anti-inflammatory or antifibrosis herbal medicine in clinical trials. However, further clinical studies are required to approve the effectiveness of ginger.