Evaluation of the effects of alcoholic extract of ginger on renal cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles: a Mus musculus model

To investigate the effects of ginger extract on renal toxicity of silver nanoparticles, 48 male mice were randomly divided into four experimental groups; control, ginger, silver nanoparticles, and ginger plus silver nanoparticles and treated for 35 days via intraperitoneal (IP) injection of ginger (200 mg/kg) and/or silver nanoparticles (500 mg/kg). Activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, gamma glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, serum glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid, histopathological changes in the kidney plus changes in protein electrophoresis pattern were evaluated at day 35. Significant differences were seen for all enzymatic activity and MDA levels in ginger and ginger-silver nanoparticle groups compared with control and silver nanoparticle groups. Furthermore, use of ginger and silver nanoparticles did not cause any changes in concentration and electrophoretic pattern of kidney proteins. Some unspecific minor changes were seen in the serum biomarkers of kidney function. However, some pathological changes related to the use of nanoparticles were detected in the kidney which disappeared in response to ginger consumption. Although silver nanoparticles just induced mild pathological changes in kidney tissue, ginger acts as a powerful antioxidant and leads to an increase in enzyme activity and decrease in MDA level and resolves related renal pathological lesion.