Computational Analysis of Zingiber officinale Identifies GABAergic Signaling as a Potential Therapeutic Mechanism in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer cases are on the rise and have become a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is widely used in traditional herbal medicine and has been proposed as a potential treatment for colorectal cancer. This study aimed to explore the network pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of ginger in colorectal cancer treatment. Colorectal cancer patient data from the GEO dataset were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Six key components of ginger were selected based on specific criteria, and their target proteins were predicted using the TCMSP database. By overlapping DEGs with predicted targets, 36 candidate drug targets were identified. These targets were analyzed for biological alterations, pathway enrichment, protein–protein interactions, and hub-gene selection, integrating network pharmacology. Molecular docking simulations were conducted to confirm the binding interactions between ginger components and target proteins. The findings showed that GABAergic signaling and apoptosis were the most enriched pathways, suggesting their potential role in colorectal cancer treatment. Docking simulations further revealed that ginger’s active compounds bind to COX2 and ESR1, indicating anti-inflammatory effects and modulation of estrogenic activity. This study provides insight into the systemic mechanisms of ginger in colorectal cancer treatment through an integrated “drug–gene–pathway–disease” network approach.