Abstract
Ginger rhizomes have been reportedly used in folk medicine for the management of various ailments. This study, therefore, investigates the ameliorative effect of the ethanolic extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes against DNA damage in rats induced with different carcinogens. Fifteen Wistar rats grouped into 3 of 5 rats per group were used for the study. The first set of blood samples was first collected before the animals were orally treated with heavy metals. After 14 days of induction, the second set of blood was collected. The third phase of blood collection was done after administering an ethanolic extract of Z. officinale for 14 days. The UV wavelength absorption spectrum and conventional PCR analysis were carried out on DNA extracts of all the animals. Cluster analysis of optical density (OD) and PCR data were carried out as well as genomic instability, similarity, and diversity using the best 3 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. The PCR –DNA concentration analysis showed the Z. officinale extract's ameliorative effect against lead acetate, cadmium chloride, and arsenic trioxide-induced DNA damage with a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in DNA concentration of the treated rats when compared with induced rats. The cluster analysis of optical density values revealed close similarity between the control animals' DNA, a slight similarity with treated animals' DNA, and a significant difference with the induced animal DNA. These results indicated the ameliorative properties of Z. officinale against these heavy metals induced DNA damage in rats.
Highlights
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an essential molecule that maintains the genetic information of all living organisms [1]; maintaining healthy DNA is paramount to the proper functioning of all metabolic processes occurring in the living system
Several studies involved heavy metals as one of the foremost cause of DNA damage due to the generation of reactive oxygen species, which causes changes in metabolism leading to lipid peroxidation, depletion of sulphydryls, a break in DNA strand, a base missing from the backbone of DNA, or a chemically changed base, such as 8-hydrodeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), which is a significant marker of oxidative stress [2, 3, 4]
There were variations in the rats' body weights before induction of heavy metals compared with the weight after induction and after administration of Zingiber officinale (Figure 1)
Summary
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an essential molecule that maintains the genetic information of all living organisms [1]; maintaining healthy DNA is paramount to the proper functioning of all metabolic processes occurring in the living system. Arsenic trioxide, and cadmium chloride were dissolved separately in distilled water at a concentration of 50 mg/ml, and animals in each group were induced daily for 14 days by oral gavage via cannula with the same dose (10 mg/kg) following the method of [20]. Group 1, 2, and 3 were induced with lead acetate, arsenic trioxide, and cadmium chloride, respectively, and the second set of blood samples was collected after 14day administration of these three metals.
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