The association between
ethanol consumption and
heart abnormalities, such as chamber dilation, myocyte damage, ventricular
hypertrophy, and
hypertension is well known. However, underlying molecular mediators involved in
ethanol-induced
heart abnormalities remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic
ethanol exposure on alpha and
beta - myosin heavy chain (MHC)
isoforms gene expression transition and oxidative stress in rats' heart. It was also planned to find out whether
ginger extract mitigated the abnormalities induced by
ethanol in rats' heart. Male wistar rats were divided into three groups of eight animals as follows: Control,
ethanol, and
ginger extract treated ethanolic (GETE) groups. After six weeks of treatment, the results revealed a significant increase in the β-MHC gene expression, 8- OHdG amount, and
NADPH oxidase level. Furthermore, a significant decrease in the ratio of α-MHC/β-MHC gene expression to the amount of
paraoxonase enzyme in the
ethanol group compared to the control group was found. The consumption of
Ginger extract along with
ethanol ameliorated the changes in MHC
isoforms gene expression and reduced the elevated amount of 8-OHdG and
NADPH oxidase. Moreover, compared to the consumption of
ethanol alone, it increased the
paraoxonase level significantly. These findings indicate that
ethanol-induced
heart abnormalities may in part be associated with MHC
isoforms changes mediated by oxidative stress, and that these effects can be alleviated by using
ginger extract as an
antioxidant molecule.