RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the antioxidation activity and protective effect of ginger oil on DNA damage.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Chemical light assay was used to detect the oxygen radicals scavenging capacity of ginger oil. The erythrocyte oxidation damage was induced by H2O2. The effect of ginger oil on oxidative erythrocyte was observed by the colorimetric analysis assay, and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabit hepatocyte was measured. The anaylsis of DNA damage was made with single cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE) technique.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Ginger oil might decrease light value compared with control group and inhibited erythrocyte oxidation damage. Compared with that in control group, the degress of DNA damage reduced significantly in the protected groups. Ginger oil might decrease the content of MDA remarkably and inhitibition rate was 48.16%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ginger oil has dominantive protective effect on DNA damage induced by H2O2. Ginger oil might act as a scavenger of oxygen radical and might be used as an antioxidant.</p>