Protective effects of a ginger ( <i>Zingiber officinale</i> Roscoe, <i>Zingiberaceae</i> ) extract on the liver and heart tissues in the bile duct-ligated rats

<b>Objective.</b> Cholestasis is a disorder with accumulation of bile acids in the liver that can lead to toxicity and impairment in liver function and heart. In current study, we investigated the protective effect of ginger extract on the liver and heart damages in cholestatic rats. <b>Methods.</b> Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=6). Cholestasis was induced in the rats by ligating the bile ducts. The animals were treated with different doses of methanol extract of ginger (100, 200, 400 mg/kg/day) for 28 days. Serum factors including ala-nine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin, and the oxidative stress indices, glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and total antioxidant capacity in the liver and heart tissues were measured. Histopathological changes were also investigated. <b>Results.</b> The results showed that ligating the bile ducts in rats was associated with an increase in the serum factors including ALT, AST, ALP, and bilirubin. It also increased the amount of ROS, MDA, and decreased the GSH and total antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, severe histo-pathological changes were seen in the liver and heart tissues. The results show that ginger extract reduced the amount of serum factors, modulated the antioxidant indices and improved the histo-pathological changes. <b>Conclusions.</b> According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that the administration of ginger extract can be a new strategy to treat the complication of liver and heart damage caused by cholestasis. The protective effects of ginger against cholestasis and its complications may be mediated by the antioxidant activity of its components.