Bioactive Constituents of Ginger and Potential Mechanisms Underlying Its Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis Effects: Integrated Efficacy Evaluation, Chemical Profiling, Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease, and ginger contains phenolic constituents with anti-inflammatory potential. This study evaluated the antiarthritic efficacy of ginger ethanolic extract (GE) and explored its potential mechanisms through integrated pharmacological and computational approaches. Methods: GE was prepared by 70% ethanol reflux extraction and administered to adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats, with methotrexate as a positive control. Body weight; paw swelling; arthritis index; spleen index; and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were measured. Chemical profiling was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), followed by network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Results: GE attenuated paw edema, arthritis index elevation, splenic enlargement, and elevated serum inflammatory mediators in AIA rats. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS annotated 38 constituents, mainly gingerols, shogaols, gingerdiones, gingerdiols, and related phenolic derivatives. Network analysis identified 217 overlapping ginger- and RA-associated targets, with TNF, IL6, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) prioritized among inflammatory and matrix-remodeling nodes. Docking and MD simulations supported stable predicted interactions for 8-gingerol-TNF and 6-gingerol-MMP9. Conclusions: GE showed antiarthritic activity in AIA rats. The integrated chemical, in vivo, and computational data suggest that ginger phenolics may modulate inflammatory mediators and candidate RA-related pathways; however, these mechanisms remain exploratory and require histological, tissue-level, and molecular validation.