Progress in Research on the Health Effects and Mechanisms of 6-Gingerol and in Development of Oral Delivery Systems for It

6-Gingerol is the major pungent component in ginger. It possesses a variety of health benefits including antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hypotensive activities as well as colitis prevention and treatment. However, the health effects of oral 6-gingerol are limited due to the low water solubility, poor gastrointestinal stability, rapid metabolism in the body, release at non-target sites, and pungent and bitter taste. In this article, the health effects of 6-gingerol including anticancer, anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic activity, and preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases as well as gastrointestinal diseases are reviewed together with the underlying mechanisms. Based on a review of recent progress in the research on the gastrointestinal absorption of 6-gingerol, its distribution, metabolism and excretion in the systematic circulation and its metabolic processes in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, the current status of the design and development of oral delivery systems for 6-gingerol. The mechanism for the enhancing effect of delivery systems on the health benefits of 6-gingerol and the design principle of the strategies to enhance the health benefits of 6-gingerol are elucidated. Hopefully, this review will not only provide a theoretical guidance for the design of oral delivery systems for 6-gingerol and the research on the mechanism for the enhancing effect of oral delivery systems on the health benefits of 6-gingerol, but also provide scientific evidence for the design of 6-gingerol-based functional foods.