Modulatory effects of curcumin, aqueous ginger extract , and their mixture on hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress in alloxan diabetic rats. -

The present study was conducted to elucidate the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effect of curcumin, Zingiber officinale (ginger) extract and their mixture in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Male albino rats (n=72) weighing (225-250 g) were divided into two main groups; first group: negative control (n=7) fed standard diet and second group: diabetic rats (n=66),which divided equally to five subgroups as follows: diabetic untreated rats (positive control), diabetic rats treated with curcumin (10,25,50 mg/kg.body weight), diabetic rats treated with aqueous ginger extract (50,100,200mg/kg. body weight) ,diabetic rats treated with their mixture and finally diabetic rats treated with5 mg/kg.b.w of glibenelamide. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitonial injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight). All treatments were orally administered by intra-gastric intubations once a day for eight consecutive weeks to alloxan-induced diabetic rats. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected to measure fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin ,glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c),serum lipid profile. Changes in serum enzymatic antioxidant activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD),glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) ,non enzymatic antioxidants levels such as glutathione (GSH) and vitamin C ,vitamin E and lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. The results reported that the alloxan-induced diabetic group exhibited very highly significant (p<0.001) hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, elevated in MDA accompanied with weight loss and reduced in high HDL-C level, SOD,GPx and CAT enzyme activities in addition low levels of glutathione ,vitamin E and C when compared with control negative group. Treatment either curcumin or aqueous ginger extract with different doses daily for 8 consecutively weeks modulated the above changes but their mixture reported very highly significant(p<0.001)improvement in all biological evaluation, glucose, insulin,glycoslated hemoglobin (HbA1c),lipid profile, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activities when compared with untreated diabetic group. This study demonstrates that the curcumin and ginger mixture possesses significant reduction in hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic, as well as antioxidant effect in diabetic rats. Therefore, it recommends using mixture of curcumin and ginger to alleviate the oxidative stress caused by diabetes. - See more at