Accessment of the Kidney in Ginger Treated Wistar Rats

Ginger, botanically known as Zingerber offinale is an underground stem or rhizome which is known to have originated from Asia and have been reported to have a number of medicinal properties which is used in the treatment of many ailments such as arthritis, painful menstrual periods, nausea etc. It is also used as a common specie in food and bakery industries. The effect of ethanolic extract of ginger on the kidney of male wistar rats was studied due to the availability and medicinal uses of ginger. Twenty five (25) adult Wistar rats weighing 125-200g were divided into five groups. Group A animals served as the control and were served with distilled water, B served as vehicle control groups and received olive oil. The animals in groups C, D and E served as experimental groups, and received 100mg/kg, 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weight of the ethanolic extract of Zingiber officinale respectively. The animals received the extract for 14 days and were sacrificed 24 hours after the last administration and the kidney was routinely processed histologically. The study shows enlargement of Bowman’s space, disintegration of glomerular cells and dilation of the tubular lumen with shrinkage of tubular luminal cells when compared to the control group, which progressively increased as the duration of intake of Zinger officinlae increased. Therefore, Zingerber officinale should be used with caution because it may have deleterious effects on the liver cells at high doses