Partner N.C. A&T's Dr. Shengmin Sang and Colleagues Receive Grant to Study Ginger’s Effects on Asthma
Originally from ncatresearch.org - posted January 17, 2020
Can a well-known spice help asthma patients breathe easier? That’s the question NC TraCS partner N.C. A&T’s Shengmin Sang and his colleagues at Columbia University are planning to study as the recipients of a four-year, $1.8 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Highly competitive, R01 grants fund health-related research and development.
The pre-clinical study will investigate the effects of 6-shogaol, a biologically active component of ginger extract, and its bioactive metabolites and derivatives, on relaxing the smooth muscle found in the human airway. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) constricts during an asthma attack, tightening the airway and making breathing more difficult.
This is the second grant to study ginger and asthma that Sang and his colleagues have received from the NIH. The first grant funds a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of ginger supplements for asthma patients.