Antidiabetic, Antilipidaemic and Nephrocurative Studies of the Aqueous Extracts of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) and their Combination in Experimental Rats

Abstract

Previous researches have reported that Cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) bark and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome possess strong antihyperglycemic activity This research was conducted to evaluate the Antidiabetic, hypolipidaemic and nephrocurative properties of aqueous extract of Cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum) bark; Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome and a combination of the two on Alloxan- induced diabetic rats. Thirty- two rats were grouped into eight groups of four rats each. Group I served as normal control, Group II was administered 200mg/kg aqueous extract of ginger, group III was administered 150mg/kg aqueous extract of Cinnamon. Group IV served as diabetic control group, group V was diabetic and administered 200mg/kg aqueous extract of ginger, group VI was diabetic; administered 150mg/kg aqueous extract of Cinnamon, group VII was diabetic and administered with a combination of Ginger and Cinnamon aqueous extract in the ratio 4:3 respectively. Group VIII were diabetic treated with metformin 500mg/kg. The animals were administered with the extracts for a period of 14 days while monitoring the fasting blood glucose at 3-day intervals. The animals were then sacrificed after and blood collected was used for analysis of lipid profile and renal function indices. The fasting blood glucose level was found to be significantly (p<0.05) decreased in all groups administered with the extracts, with highest hypoglycemic activity observed in group VII compared to the diabetic group. Hypolipidaemic activities were also seen in groups V, VI, and VII with significant (p<0.05) decrease in these groups treated with the aqueous extracts of ginger, cinnamon and a combination of both compared to the diabetic control. The electrolytes, urea and creatinine levels were found to be unaffected by the treatment in all the groups, a comparison between the treated groups and untreated one showed no significant difference (p>0.05). The findings of this study suggest that Ginger rhizome, cinnamon bark and their combination may be used in the management of diabetes mellitus and its complications, although further human studies needs to be carried to confirm their potential benefits in diabetes management.