EXERCISE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT BY METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ZINGIBER OFFICINALIS ON SOME VITAL TISSUES IN MALE RAT

Background: Zingiber officinalis known as ginger, under the family Zingiberaceae, is a popular food spice and occupies an important place in Ayurvedic and traditional medicine. Its rhizome is used as antioxidative, carminative and for chronic diseases. Aims: Study indicated the curative effects of methanolic extract of ginger on severe exercise-induced oxidative damage in vital organs. Materials and Methods: Oxidative stress was established in male rat by forced swimming in an acrylic plastic pool filled with water. The total duration of 8 h per day including rest was allowed for both the treated and untreated forced swimming group of animals. Oxidative stress has been observed by monitoring of SOD, CAT, GST and Px activities along with quantification of TBARS and CD levels in liver, cerebrum, testis, and plasma. Whether the applied dose has toxicity if any, general body weight parameter was assessed. Results: Results indicate that SOD, CAT, GST and Px activities were decreased along with increase in levels of TBARS and CD in aforesaid tissues significantly in forced swimming group which were corrected significantly after 15 days pre-treatment followed by 28 days co-treatment of methanolic extract at the concentration of 20 mg/0.5 ml olive oil/100 gm body weight/rat/day in forced swimming group of rats (p<0.05). The extract showed non-toxic effect reflected here from the study of percentage gain in body weight. Conclusion: This finding reveals that methanolic extract of rhizome of Zingiber officinalis exhibited significant protective and curative effects on vital tissues in swimming-induced oxidative stressed rats.