Antihypercholesterolaemic effect of ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) in rats

• Published in: Inflammopharmacology Vol. 18; no. 6; pp. 309 - 315
• Main Authors: ElRokh, El-Sayed M., Yassin, Nemat A. Z., El-Shenawy, Siham M. A., Ibrahim, Bassant M. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel 01.12.2010
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Allergology; Animals; Atorvastatin; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Dermatology; Dietary Fats; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Gastroenterology; Heptanoic Acids - pharmacology; Heptanoic Acids - therapeutic use; Hypercholesterolemia - drug therapy; Hypolipidemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypolipidemic Agents - therapeutic use; Immunology; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Phytotherapy; Plant Preparations - chemistry; Plant Preparations - pharmacology; Plant Preparations - therapeutic use; Pyrroles - pharmacology; Pyrroles - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Research Article; Rheumatology; Rhizome - chemistry; Triglycerides - blood; Zingiber officinale; Zingiber officinale - chemistry; Atorvastatin; Lipid profile; Rats; Hypocholesterolaemic
• ISSN: 0925-4692; 1568-5608
• DOI: 10.1007/s10787-010-0053-5

Introduction Many herbal medicinal products have potential hypocholesterolaemic activity and encouraging safety profiles. However, only a limited amount of clinical research exists to support their efficacy. Aim of the work The present study was designed to evaluate the antihypercholesterolaemic effects of aqueous ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) infusion in hypercholesterolaemic rat models. Methods 48 rats were used throughout the experiment, which were divided into six groups, eight animals each as follows: normal control group (normal rats which fed with standard diet). After induction of hypercholesterolaemia by feeding rats with high cholesterol diet, the remaining rats were divided into five groups: group 1, hypercholesterolaemic control group (hypercholesterolaemic rats group); groups 2, 3 and 4, rats were given aqueous infusion of ginger (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively) orally; and group 5, rats were given atorvastatin (0.18 mg/kg) orally as a reference antihypercholesterolaemic drug. The blood was obtained from all groups of rats after being lightly anaesthetized with ether and the following lipid profile [serum total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-C and triglyceride levels] was measured at zero time and 2 and 4 weeks after ginger and atorvastatin treatment, and the risk ratio (TC/HDL-cholesterol) was assessed. Results The results revealed that the hypercholesterolaemic rats treated with aqueous ginger infusion in the three doses used after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment induce significant decrease in all lipid profile parameters which were measured and improved the risk ratio.