What question did this study set out to answer?

Evaluate the protective effects of Zingiber officinale extract on liver injury in type 2 diabetic rats and its interaction with metformin.

February 22, 2026Open Access

Zingiber officinale extract protects against diabetic hepatopathy via gut-liver axis modulation: Enhanced efficacy with metformin in type 2 diabetic rats

Key Points

Evaluate the protective effects of Zingiber officinale extract on liver injury in type 2 diabetic rats and its interaction with metformin.
Used a high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin to induce type 2 diabetes in male Wistar rats.
Administered treatments for 14 weeks with experimental groups including control, ginger, metformin, and combination therapy.
Conducted metabolic profiling, liver function tests, and gut microbiome analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing.
Ginger treatment restored microbial diversity, normalized the firmicutes/bacteroidetes ratio, and increased Akkermansia muciniphila abundance.
Significant improvements in insulin sensitivity (50% reduction in HOMA-IR) and pancreatic β-cell function (95% recovery in HOMA-β).
Restoration of antioxidant enzymes by 78-85% and reduction in inflammatory responses, with enhanced benefits observed with combined metformin treatment.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects over 460 million individuals worldwide, of whom approximately 70% develop diabetic hepatopathy. Emerging evidence implicates gut microbiota dysbiosis as a central contributor to hepatic complications by disrupting the gut-liver axis. This study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective efficacy of Zingiber officinale (ginger) extract, alone and in combination with metformin, against diabetes-induced liver injury by modulating gut microbiota. Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to six experimental groups (n = 10 per group): control, ginger monotherapy, diabetic control, diabetic with ginger treatment, diabetic with metformin treatment, and diabetic with combination therapy. T2DM was induced using a high-fat diet (HFD) followed by low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) (30 mg/kg), and treatments were administered for 14 weeks. Comprehensive evaluations included metabolic profiling, liver function tests, antioxidant enzyme assays, histopathological examinations, and 16S rRNA-based analysis of gut microbiome. Diabetic rats exhibited severe gut dysbiosis characterized by 75% depletion of firmicutes and an 8-fold increase in proteobacteria. Ginger administration significantly restored microbial diversity, normalized the firmicutes/bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio), and markedly increased Akkermansia muciniphila abundance (from 0.2% to 2.1%). Furthermore, ginger treatment significantly improved insulin sensitivity (50% reduction in homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), enhanced pancreatic β-cell function (95% recovery of HOMA-β), and normalized dyslipidemic profiles. Hepatic protection was associated with substantial restoration of antioxidant enzymes (78–85%) and attenuation of inflammatory responses. Notably, combination therapy with metformin yielded superior outcomes across all measured parameters, suggesting a synergistic interaction. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of Z. officinale , particularly in combination with metformin, for mitigating diabetic hepatopathy by modulating the gut-liver axis, and support its translational relevance as a microbiome-targeted intervention in T2DM management.

Perguntar à IA

Bookmark

View Full Paper