Potential Protection Effect of Using Honey, Ginger, and Turmeric as a Natural Treatment against Chemotherapy of Intestinal Toxicity

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential of a treatment of honey, ginger and, turmeric against methotrexate-(MTX) induced intestinal toxicity. Rats were randomly split into five groups (n = 7) as follows: the control group was administrated placebo (physiologic saline) for seven days; the MTX groups were injected with vehicle intraperitoneally for one day followed by a single dose of MTX (20 mg/kg body weight). Animals in the treated groups were treated orally with honey solution, an aqueous extract of ginger, or turmeric. Body weight gain was significantly reduced at (p<0.05) after the injection of MTX for all treated groups. However, the total antioxidant capacity was significantly (p<0.05) higher for groups treated with honey, ginger and turmeric (1.70 ± 0.24; 1.4 ± 0.2; 1.70 ± 0.6 mM/L, respectively) compared with rats treated with MTX alone (0.97 ± 0.2 mM/L). Also, those who received honey and MTX had liver and kidney enzymes closer to normal levels, with better hematology parameters and morphological structure of the intestines. Treatment with aqueous extract of ginger and/or turmeric appeared to significantly ameliorate the toxic effects of MTX via an increase in total antioxidant capacity and decreased formation of malondialdehyde. There were also significant improvements in hematology results for rats treated with aqueous extract of ginger and/or turmeric. Finally, combined treatment with honey, ginger, and turmeric led to lower toxicity than treatment with MTX alone.