Author

• fereshteh dadfar

Abstract

Introduction: Many studies have been conducted so far on the therapeutic effects of Zingiber officinale (ginger) in treating respiratory disorders. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizomes on mechanical activity of the isolated trachea in adult male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, after anesthetizing 15 adult male rats, their tracheae were removed and cut into 3 mm pieces. The isolated trachea pieces of each rat were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups and placed in a tissue bath containing oxygenated Krebs solution at 37°C and at pH=7.4. To measure and record the mechanical activity of segments, a force transducer connected to a bridge amplifier and Powerlab were used. In this regard, after establishing baseline conditions, mechanical activity in trachea pieces in the experimental group was measured and recorded in the presence of hydroalcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale (0.3 mg/ml) and mechanical activity in tracheal segments in the control group was measured and recorded in the presence of solvent extract. Data were analyzed by paired t-test. Results: The results showed that hydroalcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale lead to relaxation of trachea pieces in the experimental group. The mean mechanical activity in trachea pieces showed a significant reduction in the experimental group (0.5089 g) compared to the control group (0.3567 g) and the effect showed no significant changes with acetylcholine (P<0.05). Conclusion: The hydroalcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale may have relaxation and inhibitory effects on the mechanical activity in the isolated trachea. The effect can be attributed to the cholinergic pathway inhibition.

Keywords

• Extract
• Zingiber officinale
• Trachea