Red Ginger Extract Nanoemulsion Potently Inhibits MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells and Decreases Inflammation

Breast cancer (BC) known as prevalent cancer, and compounds in red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) (RG) have potential as anticancer agents. In developing the potential of RG, developing RG nanoparticles (RGN) increases effectiveness and reduces side effects. A study aimed to determine the effectiveness of RGN on MCF-7 cell lines for inhibiting BC and reducing inflammation. RGN was prepared using RG extract, chitosan, Na-TPP, and solvents. RGN was characterized using PSA, TEM, and ZPA. Cytotoxicity of RGN against the MCF-7 cell line was determined using WST-8. ROS levels were measured with flow cytometry. The NF-κB gene expression was analyzed using RT-qPCR. The findings show that the RGN has a diameter of about 773 nm (PSA), 25.1 mV and 0.000194 cm2/Vs Electrophoretic Mobility (ZPA). The TEM results show the shape of RGN in the small ball form of a particle size approximately 79 nm. Among the tested samples for cytotoxicity, 400 μg/mL RGN produced the lowest viability along with the highest inhibition against MCF-7 cells, with 583.40 μg/mL of IC₅₀. The 800 µg/mL RGN concentration can reduce the level of ROS and 200 µg/mL RGN concentration can reduce NF-κB gene expression. RGN was successfully characterized as a nanoemulsion and showed cytotoxic potential, breast cancer growth inhibition, and inflammation in MCF-7 cells. This implies that RGN may be an alternative to cancer anti-breast agents based on in vitro studies.