Some Protective Effects Of Ginger Against Ccl4 Induced Toxicity In The Adrenal Cortex Of Adult Wistar Rats (Rattus Norvegicus)

Aims: To investigate some protective effects of ginger on CCl4 (Carbon tetrachloride) induced toxicity in the adrenal cortex of adult wistar rats. Study design: Histological and Biochemical study. Place and Duration of study: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, LAUTECH, Nigeria between September 2012 and December 2012. Methodology: Twenty-four adult healthy wistar rats of both sexes of average weight 210±4.22g were randomly assigned into 4 groups four groups (N=6) such that T1, T2 and T3 served as treatment groups, while C served as the control group. T1 received 2g of ginger and 2mls of CCl4, T¬2 were given 2mls of CCl4 Carbon tetrachloride while T3 received 2g of ginger. The control group C was given distilled water. All the animals were exposed for 7 days. At the end of administration, all the rats were sacrificed cervical dislocation and processed immediately for histological techniques and bioassay of some antioxidant enzymes as well as lipid peroxidation. Results: Oxidative stress enzymes Superoxide dismutase, Glutathione reductase and Glutathione peroxidase as well as Glutathione levels were significantly (p<0.05) reduced in T2 compared to the control but relatively increased in T1 and T3 while Lipid peroxidation level was drastically reduced in T3 and to some extent in T1 compared to increased level in T2. The histoarchitecture in the treatment group T3 and control C revealed distinct and normal pyramidal cells and freely anastomosing polyhedral cellular distribution in the cellular zones of adrenal cortex. Treatment group T1 also showed same normal histological presentation with few distortions. However the pictorial representation in treatment group T2 showed pyknotic pyramidal cells characterized with vacoulations specifically in the zonal fasciculata and to lesser extent in the zonal reticulosa. Conclusion: Ginger offers some ameliorative protections to the pyramidal and polyhedral cells of the adrenal cortex following CCl4 induced toxicity in wistar rats and also further affirms its antioxidative potentials