effects of zingerone against diabetic hepatopathy in rats

According to estimates by the world health organization, there were 422 million people living with diabetes worldwide in 2014, and in 2019, it was reported that 1.50 million people died directly due to diabetes. diabetes mellitus (dm) can lead to disturbances in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, along with serious health problems, such as neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, peripheral vascular disease, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerosis. diabetic hepatopathies are one of the common chronic complications affecting approximately 30.00% of diabetic patients. zingerone is reported to have strong anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-lipophilic, anti-diarrheal, and anti-spasmodic properties, as well as the ability to suppress oxidative stress and aging, with anti-apoptotic and radio-protective effects. in this study, 60 adult female sprague-dawley rats (220-250 g) were used and divided into six groups. the experimental groups were formed as control, dm, dm + metformin, dm + zingerone 25, dm + zingerone 50, and zingerone 50. on the 28th day of the study, all groups were sacrificed, and liver tissues were used for histopathological, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses. to determine the oxidative damage caused by diabetes in liver tissue, the expression level of 8-hydroxy-2 -deoxyguanosine (8-ohdg) was measured, and the expression level of caspase-3 was measured to assess apoptosis. while the levels of 8-ohdg and caspase-3 increased in the dm group, it was observed that tissue damage decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the zingerone treatment groups. in this study, it was determined that zingerone has protective effects against oxidative stress and apoptosis in diabetes-induced hepatopathy in rats.