Evaluation of the Acute Toxicity of the Ethanolic Extract of the Rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe in Rats

Background: Ginger has pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-neuroinflammatory, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Objective: The research aims to evaluate the acute toxicity of the ethanolic extract of the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe in rats. Materials and Methods: The extract was administrated at doses of 300 and 2000 mg/ Kg/day to female and male rats. Changes in body weight were determined during the 14-day treatment period, and on the last day of treatment, blood was drawn, and euthanasia was performed, removing organs for histological analysis. Biochemical parameters were measured. Results: The body weight of the research specimens not show statistically significant variation. In the liver, mild lymphocytic portal inflammation and moderate hepatic steatosis occurred at doses of 2000 mg/kg/day. The kidneys exhibited a mild infiltration around the renal tubules and glomeruli at the same dose. The brain showed a slight increase in the count of astrocytes with focal glial reaction at the highest dose. The stomach and heart also showed mild inflammatory processes at the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day. In biochemical parameters, statistically significant differences were observed between the dose of 2000 mg/Kg/day and the control group. Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of the rhizome of Z. officinale in rats revealed histopathological changes in the liver, kidneys, brain, stomach, and heart, besides changes in biochemical parameters at doses of 2000 mg/Kg/day.