Gymnema sylvestre is traditionally used as an herbal remedy for diabetes. The effect of Gymnema sylvestre supplementation on beta cell and hepatic activity was explored in an
alloxan-induced hyperglycemic adult rat. Animals were made hyperglycemic via a single inj. (i.p) of
Alloxan. Gymnema sylvestre was supplemented in diet @250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg b.w. Animals were sacrificed, and blood and tissues (pancreas and liver) were collected for biochemical, expression, and histological analysis. Gymnema sylvestre significantly reduced
blood glucose levels with a subsequent increase in plasma
insulin levels in a dosage-dependent manner. Total
oxidant status (TOS),
malondialdehyde,
LDL, VLDL, ALT, AST,
triglyceride, total
cholesterol, and total
protein levels were reduced significantly. Significantly raised
paraoxonase,
arylesterase,
albumin, and HDL levels were also observed in Gymnema sylvestre treated hyperglycemic rats. Increased
mRNA expression of Ins-1, Ins-2, Gck, Pdx1, Mafa, and Pax6 was observed, while decreased expression of Cat, Sod1, Nrf2, and
NF-kB was observed in the pancreas. However, increased
mRNA expression of Gck, Irs1, SREBP1c, and Foxk1 and decreased expression of Irs2, ChREBP, Foxo1, and FoxA2 were observed in the liver. The current study indicates the potent effect of Gymnema sylvestre on the transcription modulation of the
insulin gene in the
alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rat model. Enhanced plasma
insulin levels further help to improve
hyperglycemia-induced
dyslipidemia through transcriptional modulation of hepatocytes.