The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of daily injection of ginger Zingiber officinale extract on the physiological parameters, as well as the histological structure of the liver of adult rats. Adult male rats were divided into four groups; (G1, G2, G3, and Control groups). The first group received 500 ml/kg b. wt/day of aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale i.p. for four weeks, G2 received 500 ml/kg b wt/day of aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale for three weeks and then received carbon tetrachloride CCl4 0.1ml/150 g b. wt. for one week, G3 received 500 ml/kg body weight/day of aqueous extract of ginger Zingiber officinale i.p. for three weeks and then received CCl4 for one week combined with ginger). The control group (C) received a 500 ml/kg B WT/day of saline water i.p. for four weeks. The results indicated a significant decrease in the total protein and increase in the albumin/globulin ratio in the third group compared with first and second group. Also, the results reported a significant decrease in the body weight in the third and the fourth groups compared with the first and the second groups. A significant decrease in the globulin levels in the third and the fourth groups were detected compared with the first and the second groups. The obtained results showed that treating rats with ginger improved the histopathological changes induced in the liver by CCl4. The study suggests that ginger extract can be used as antioxidant, free radical scavenging and protective action against carbon tetrachloride oxidative damage in the liver.
Key words: Zingiber officinale, carbon tetrachloride, total proteins, albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio, liver histology, rat.
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