title: Protective Effects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Extract against Diabetes-Induced Heart Abnormality in Rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetic cardiomyopathy is an important causal factor in morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients, and currently, no effective means are available to reverse its pathological progress. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of ginger extract on apolipoproteins (apo) A and B, hyperhomocysteinemia, cathepsin G and leptin changes, as well as cardiac fibrosis and heart muscle cell proliferation under hyperglycemic conditions in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into three groups, namely: control, non-treated diabetic, and ginger extract-treated diabetic groups. The ginger extract-treated diabetic group received a 50 mg daily dose of ginger extract intragastrically for 6 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results revealed concurrent significant increases in plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine (Hcy), cathepsin G and apoB levels and decreases in apoA and leptin levels in the non-treated diabetic group compared to the control group. Moreover, heart structural changes, including fibrosis and heart muscle cell proliferation, were observed in non-treated diabetic rats compared to the control rats. Significant amelioration of changes in the heart structure together with restoration of the elevated levels of Hcy and CRP, leptin, cathepsin G, and apoA and B were found in the ginger extract-treated diabetic group compared to the non-treated diabetic group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicated that ginger extract significantly reduces heart structural abnormalities in diabetic rats and that these effects might be associated with improvements in serum apo, leptin, cathepsin G, and Hcy levels and with the antioxidant properties of ginger extract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Behrouz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ilkhanizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Urmia, Iran. ashirpoor@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3663-6823
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirpoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Hasan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Khadem Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nemati
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Yusef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rasmi
keywords: Diabetes; Ginger; Heart; Leptin; Rats