Zingiber officinale Var. rubrum extract increases the cytotoxic activity of 5-fluorouracil in colon adenocarcinoma widr cells

One of the main chemotherapy agents used to treat colon cancer is 5- fluorouracil (5-FU). However, over the years, the effectiveness of this medication has significantly decreased, therefore, co-chemotherapy with another agent is needed to enhance the activity. This study evaluates the effect of Zingiber officinale var Rubrum (red ginger) extract as a cochemotherapy agent with 5-FU in the WiDr human colorectal cancer cell line. The MTT assay used to determine the cytotoxic effect for 24 and 48 hours. A 48 hours treatment of 5-FU in WiDr cells showed an IC50 value of 130 μg/mL, with none obtained during the 24 hours treatment. Evaluation of the extract for 24 and 48 hours exhibited a cytotoxic effect of 68 μg/mL and 65 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of extract with a concentration less than half of their IC50 caused a significant decrease in cell viability than a single application 5-FU after 48 hours incubation. In conclusion, red ginger extract increases the cytotoxic activity of 5-FU in colon adenocarcinoma WiDr cells.