Ginger oil alleviates sero-biochemical and histopathological changes in pancreatic and liver tissues of diabetic induced rats

Abstract

There is no satisfactory therapy for diabetes. Therefore, there is a need to develop recent cotreatment strategies of plant origin which might have no side effects and are cost-effective. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects as documented previously. This study aims to investigate the histopathological alterations which occur in the pancreas and liver associated with experimentally diabetic-induced animals, in addition to evaluating the effect of Ginger in modulating the histopathology and the level of blood sugar and insulin in diabetic-induced animals. Fifty-one mature male and female Wister albino rats weighing between 200 and 280 grams were used in this study. Animals were split into three groups, each of 17 rats. The negative control group is referred to as Group I, Group II: Diabetes positive control group injected with (45mg/kg body weight) Streptozotocin intraperitoneally and Group III: Diabetic rats; received Ginger oil (dose of 1.5 mL/kg b.wt) approximately about 460 mg/kg b.wt day after day for 7 weeks. The fasting blood sugar levels were determined during the treatment. Blood was collected after scarification for an additional examination of insulin levels, cumulative blood sugar and liver enzymes. Pancreas and liver tissue specimens were dissected and processed for histological examination. Our results showed that diabetic animals treated with Ginger showed significant (P ≤0.05) improvements in fasting blood sugar, insulin, cumulative blood sugar and liver enzymes when compared with the diabetic untreated group. Histopathological examination of diabetic rats' liver and pancreatic tissues revealed vascular changes including congestion and perivascular edema and atrophy in pancreatic cells of Islets of Langerhans associated with necrobiosis. On the other hand, hepatic tissue from diabetic rats showed also severe vascular changes, vacuolar hepatocellular degeneration and focal nodular leucocytic aggregations. However, treatment with Ginger reversed these changes in both pancreatic and hepatic diabetic tissues, and the majority of the cells returned to a more or less normal state. This improvement in the cells may explain Ginger's anti-diabetic action. Ginger oil exhibited an antidiabetic effect as it improved both pathophysiological and pathomorphological alterations associated with hyperglycemia. As a result, we advised diabetic patients to use Ginger as a daily co-treatment for the control of Diabetes mellitus.