Efektifitas Ekstrak Jahe Merah sebagai Imunomodulator Daya Tahan Tubuh dan Antioksidan

Abstract

Ginger, also known as Zingiber officinale Rosc., is a spice plant originating from Southeast Asia and has spread throughout the world, including Indonesia. Three different varieties of ginger. The first is sunti or red ginger (Z. officinale var. rubrum), the second is elephant ginger (Z. officinarum), and the last is emprit ginger (Z. officinale var. amaruml). This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of red ginger extract (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) as an immunomodulator and antioxidant in increasing body resistance. Red ginger is known to contain bioactive compounds such as gingerol, shogaol, and zingerone, which have the potential to increase immune responses and fight oxidative stress where red ginger extract was tested on immune cells and experimental animals. In vitro test results showed that red ginger extract could increase T cell activity and cytokine production, which contributed to a better immune response. In vivo tests on mice induced by oxidative stress showed that red ginger extract supplementation can reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In addition, the group that received red ginger extract showed a significant increase in the number of lymphocyte cells and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels compared to the control group. These findings indicate that red ginger extract not only increases body resistance through modulating the immune system but also functions as an effective antioxidant agent. This research concludes that red ginger extract has the potential as a natural