Hepatoprotective, Antioxidant, and Ameliorative Effects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and Vitamin E in Acetaminophen Treated Rats

Abstract

Ginger is a remedy known to possess a number of pharmacological properties. This study investigated efficacy of ginger pretreatment in alleviating acetaminophen-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats. Rats were divided into six groups; negative control, acetaminophen (APAP) (600 mg/kg single intraperitoneal injection); vitamin E (75 mg/kg), ginger (100 mg/kg), vitamin E + APAP, and ginger + APAP. Administration of APAP elicited significant liver injury that was manifested by remarkable increase in plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), arginase activities, and total bilirubin concentration. Meanwhile, APAP significantly decreased plasma total proteins and albumin levels. APAP administration resulted in substantial increase in each of plasma triacylglycerols (TAGs), malondialdhyde (MDA) levels, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). However, ginger or vitamin E treatment prior to APAP showed significant hepatoprotective effect by lowering the hepatic marker enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, and arginase) and total bilirubin in plasma. In addition, they remarkably ameliorated the APAP-induced oxidative stress by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (MDA). Pretreatment by ginger or vitamin E significantly restored TAGs, and total protein levels. Histopathological examination of APAP treated rats showed alterations in normal hepatic histoarchitecture, with necrosis and vacuolization of cells. These alterations were substantially decreased by ginger or vitamin E. Our results demonstrated that ginger can prevent hepatic injuries, alleviating oxidative stress in a manner comparable to that of vitamin E. Combination therapy of ginger and APAP is recommended especially in cases with hepatic disorders or when high doses of APAP are required.

Modulatory Effect of Ginger Aqueous Extract on Imidacloprid Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

“…Liver of rats from all GAE-treated groups (protected, treated and combination) showed normal hepatic parenchyma with very mild round cells infiltrations in the portal areas indicating that ginger could restore the hepatotoxic effect caused by IMI. These results agree with previous studies Abdel- Azeem et al (2013). Also coadministration of ginger with piroxicam revealed somewhat normal histological architecture of liver (Badawi, 2018).…”

Role of ginger (zingiber officinale) against metalaxyl induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats: a histological and immunohistochemical study

“…Also, previous investigators demonstrated that ginger oil had a dominative protective effect on DNA damage and might act as a scavenger of oxygen radicals [49,50].…”

Inhibitory effect of zingiber officinale towards Streptococcus mutans virulence and caries development: in vitro and in vivo studies

“…Zingiber officinale (or ginger), is one of the most extensively used herbs in the Indian system of traditional medicine. Many studies have revealed its numerous pharmacological activities, such as, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive [ 15 ], antimutagenic [ 16 ] and hepatoprotective [ 17 ]. Furthermore, there are several other studies showing the antibacterial effect of Z. officinale against a number of micro-organisms including S. mutans [ 18 - 20 ].…”