Neurodegeneration

Alcohol withdrawal (AWD) is characterized by signs of major oxidative stress and the loss of neural cells. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the total aqueous extract from rhizomes of ginger on ethanol withdrawal related oxidative stress and related damage  in brain regions of rat. α- Lipoic acid (ALA) (100 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) was used as a standard drug. Silymarin (100 mg/kg b.w., o.p.), a well known antioxidant was used for comparision. The ginger extract improved the level of protective antioxidants such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GRD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and inhibited XOD activity in the brain regions under study at a dose of 200 mg/kg, p.o. compared to silymarin or ALA or both combined. Moreover, a decline in the antioxidant enzyme level was observed during chronic ethanol administration too (20% ethanol @ mg/kg, p.o.). Interestingly, significant improvement was recorded with the supplementation of ginger extract by an improvement of the antioxidant enzyme status even in rats with chronic ethanol administration. In addition, a striking difference is observed in the decline in absorbance at 540 nm that reflects mitochondrial PTP opening of rats treated with ginger extract during chronic ethanol administration and ethanol withdrawal compared to rats that are subjected to the identical stress but without extract treatment. The current results indicate the possible utility of ginger rhizome in neuroprotection against neurodegenerative alcohol associated disorders such as ethanol withdrawal.