Study of Histopathologic changes of the effect of Zingiber extract on mice kidneys Mehrdad Modaresi 1+ , Mozhgan Ghobadi Pour 2 , Sayed Ali Tabeidian 1 , Alireza Jalalizand 1 1- Department of Animal Science, Islamic Azad University–Khorasgan Branch , Isfahan , IRAN 2- Payam e Noor University of Isfahan. IRAN Abstract: The use of botanical medicine is ancient, and plant chemicals are still the backbone of our pharmacopoeia because more than 50 % of drugs used in Western pharmacopoeia are isolated from herbs or derived from modification of chemicals first found in plants. Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (Ginger) is a spice that has been used from two thousand years ago as a medicine in several Asian countries. Recent studies showed that it has various pharmacological effects. So in this study the effect of Zingiber on mice renal system has investigated. Ginger ethanol extract was administered every 48 hours for a period of 20 days, intraperitoneally (IP) to male mice. The liver, kidney and bladder were collected as tissue samples from executed animals for pathological examination. On pathological examination, there were no morphological changes under light microscope in the liver. A histological examination of kidneys shows that after treatment with the low and middle doses (10, 20 mg/kg/48h) the ginger produced little damaging effects on the kidney, it appears that ginger has no adverse effects in renal function, but the extract in higher doses (40 mg/kg/48h) may have some negative effects on the renal function. Undergo observable chances the renal toxicity was significantly enhanced there were interstitial inflammation, Formation of hyaline cast, Regeneration of renal tubules, Glomerulosclerosis, Hypertrophy of glomeruli, Basement membrane thickening. This indicated that with regards to the results ginger in high doses induce histological changes in the kidneys, indicating the need to identify a safe dose range for ginger. KEY WORDS: Zingiber , Kidney , Mice, Pathology ,Histology. 1. Introduction Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a plant from Zingiberaceae family is commonly part of food diet in some parts of the world. From common ginger rhizome a powder that called ginger spice is made which its hot and fragrant taste were used for spicing the food from old times.(3) its natural growth is in eastern parts of India, specially in Gingi and Zingi, malaber, srilanka and China. Its cultivation is common in south Asia, Japan, North Africa, Mexico, until islands and specially Jamaica. This plant hasn't any normal growth in Iran (7). The Greek physician Galen used ginger as a purificant of body. He used ginger to treat conditions caused by imbalances in body. (17) In classic medicine ginger used as moisture absorption around the head, throat and stomach and by eating or using ginger as eye liner cure the eye darkness from moisture (1, 4). In recent researches found that ginger because of its various active component including shogaols and gingerols which are responsible for its strong scent. Ginger in also a plant which contain the most antioxidant (9, 10, 11,) and used as medicine and food spice. Until now many studies have been done on it and its therapeutic effects for curing different illnesses have been studied. More studies showed that zingiber extract have anti-inflammatory effects (16), Antibacterial effect (9), Antifungal (14, 15), Immunomidulatory and antimicrobial effects (15). In vitro studies showed that zingiber is novel therapeutic + Corresponding author.: Mehrdad Modaresi Tel.: +989132074854 ; fax: +983115354060. E-mail address: mehrdad_modaresi@hotmail.com 16 2011 International Conference on Food Engineering and Biotechnology IPCBEE vol.9 (2011) © (2011)IACSIT Press, Singapoore