Evaluation of Anti-Diabetic Potential of Zingiber officinale Roscoe for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), an emerging global health concern today, is a complex polygenic disorder primarily characterized by increased blood glucose concentration, in sufficient insulin production by pancreatic beta cells and ineffective insulin action on targeted body tissues. Although various chemically synthesized compounds are currently available for diabetes management but poses certain risks at the same time that urge the scientific era to explore medicinal herbs as natural resources for the purpose of treatment once again. The current study has been directed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of Zingiber officinale Roscoe which is a perennial herb known since ancient times as a traditional medicine for different ailments but less well explored to have restorative impact against diabetes. Phytochemical screening and biochemical assays were performed to confirm the significant in vitro bioactivity potential against standard drugs and the presence of wide range of phytochemical constituents in ethanolic extract of plant. In silico approaches also confirmed the presence of compounds in plant extract that can be used as potential drug candidates against the top scoring disease target genes, Src, AKT-1 and HSP90AA1, identified through HUB gene analysis. To further check the restorative impact of Zingiber officinale Roscoe extract in vivo, BALB/c diabetic mice model was constructed by combination of streptozotocin and high fat diet. The treatment at dosages of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of plant extract was found to be significantly effective in attenuation of hyperglycemia and improvement of intraperitoneal glucose level than standard metformin in mice model.