Isolation of 6-gingerol from the rhizome of zinger (<i>Zingiber officinale</i>) and evaluation of its effect on the bone health of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Abstract

Several studies have investigated the effects of various natural products on bone mineral density, bone mineral content, and fat content. The present study aims to isolate, characterize 6-gingerol and investigate its effect in diabetic osteoporosis. Isolation and identification of 6-gingerol was done by a combination of column chromatography (CC), thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of 6-gingerol on diabetic osteoporosis was assessed for 17 weeks (120 days) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into four groups: Group 1 (control rats), Group 2 (diabetic rats), Group 3 (diabetic rats treated with 6-gingerol at 100 mg/kg body weight), and Group 4 (control rats treated with 6-gingerol). Bone mineral density, bone mineral content, fat mass, and total lean mass in all the experimental rats were evaluated at the end of the study using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The diabetic rats treated with 6-gingerol showed improved blood glucose level compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Diabetic rats showed fluctuating values of total fat, percentage fat, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone mineral content (BMC). However, following 120 days of treatment with 6-gingerol, all variables were similar to that obtained in the control group. The findings from the present study reveal that 6-gingerol has the propensity to prevent glucotoxicity-induced diabetic osteoporosis while improving bone health.