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The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is a small domesticated species of the family Mustelidae within the order Carnivora. The present article reviews and discusses the current state of knowledge about housing, care, breeding, and biomedical uses of ferrets. The management and breeding procedures of ferrets resemble those used for other carnivores. Understanding its behavior helps in the use of environmental enrichment and social housing, which promote behaviors typical of the species. Ferrets have been used in research since the beginning of the twentieth century. It is a suitable non-rodent model in biomedical research because of its hardy nature, social behavior, diet and other habits, small size, and thus the requirement of a relatively low amount of test compounds and early sexual maturity compared with dogs and non-human primates. Ferrets and humans have numerous similar anatomical, metabolic, and physiological characteristics, including the endocrine, respiratory, auditory, gastrointestinal, and immunological systems. It is one of the emerging animal models used in studies such as influenza and other infectious respiratory diseases, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, cardiac research, gastrointestinal disorders, neuroscience, and toxicological studies. Ferrets are vulnerable to many human pathogenic organisms, like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), because air transmission of this virus between them has been observed in the laboratory. Ferrets draw the attention of the medical community compared to rodents because they occupy a distinct niche in biomedical studies, although they possess a small representation in laboratory research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a spice and also an herbal medicine used worldwide for managing GI tract disturbances. However, its role in gastric cancer is sparingly known. This study ensures the standardization of gastric cancer by the induction of N-nitroso N-methyl Urea (MNU) and to determine the role of the aqueous extract of ginger (AGE) in MNU-induced gastric cancer in albino Wistar rats. Accordingly, the anticancer potential of AGE and its possible mode of action were assessed on rats exposed to MNU, by various biochemical and molecular assays. As evidenced by the extent of lipid peroxidation, gastrin levels and histopathological sections in MNU-induced cancerous lesions at 8 wk which was stabilized at 16 wk confirming the induction of gastric carcinoma by the chemical carcinogen. Further, results revealed that AGE alleviated the oxidative stress as evidenced by the stomach antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase, GPx, and GR), markers of oxidative stress (TRx, GRx) and Gastrin, a specific marker for gastric cancer and a decreased level of pro-inflammatory markers (NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-6, PGE2) which was further confirmed by histopathological analysis. AGE is responsible to mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation related to gastric cancer and could be used as a potential dietary intervention in gastric cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]