Research Article [Chauhan et al., 6(6): June, 2015:4508-4520] CODEN (USA): IJPLCP ISSN: 0976-7126 © Sakun Publishing House (SPH): IJPLS 4508 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY & LIFE SCIENCES (Int. J. of Pharm. Life Sci.) Therapeutic Potential of Gymnema sylvestre Leaves in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats Komal Chauhan a *, Chakkaravarthi Saravanan a , Gauri Bajaj b and Bhushan Chauhan c a National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli, Haryana, India b Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India c Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, Banur, Punjab, India Abstract Diabetes mellitus; a metabolic disorder is associated with a large number of lipid abnormalities. Gymnema sylvestre leaf powder (GLP) was supplemented at a low dose (LD) of 1.5mg/kg b.w. and a high dose (HD) of 3mg/kg b.w. to male albino wistar strain for a period of six weeks. Hyperlipidemia and diabetes were induced in experimental animals through dietary and pharmacological means. Results showed Gymnemea sylvestre leaves are rich in phytochemicals attributing for its antioxidant potential. In vivo study showed a marked improvement in serum and hepatic lipid profile of treated animals as compared to untreated ones. Feeding of Gymnemea sylvestre reduced oxidative stress and strengthened the antioxidant defence system thereby improving insulin levels in rats. The study indicated that intake of Gymnemea sylvestre can be used as a promising functional food for diabetics. Key-Words: Gymnema sylvestre, Diabetes Mellitus, Antioxidants, Hyperlipidemia, Streptozotocin Introduction Diabetes mellitus; a metabolic disorder of multiple aetiology characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia is associated with a large number of lipid abnormalities. According to WHO, 171 million people worldwide are suffering from diabetes mellitus and the number is likely to increase up to 366 million by 2030 (WHO 1999). Diabetes and hyperlipidemia are intertwined and accretion and alterations in lipid- lipoprotein fractions in diabetics lead to derangements in metabolic and regulatory processes leading to increased production of free radicals and oxidative stress. This results in detrimental effects at cellular and tissue level thereby rendering the diabetics to deleterious clinical manifestations (Godin et al. 1988; Niskanen et al. 1995). Treatment of diabetes mellitus through insulin, hypoglycaemic drugs and hyperlipidemia through hypolipidemic drugs were the main focus of research for many years. However, the pertinent approach of majority of these drugs remained constrained owing to their limited action and undesirable side effects. Therefore it led to a shift in focus to alternative therapies based on dietary supplementation of bioactive compounds present in herbal products (Apostolidis et al. 2011; Prangthip et al. 2013). * Corresponding Author E.mail: komal.niftem@gmail.com Tel: +91-130-2281218 Gymnema sylvestre R.Br (Asclepiadaceae); a climbing woody plant, is widely grown in central and western India, Malaysia, Srilanka, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam (Prakash et al. 1986). The plant has been extensively used in Ayurvedic medicine (Suttisri et al. 1995) since times immemorial to cure various ailments viz. gastrointestinal, respiratory, liver disorders, cardiovascular, eye, renal and skin diseases, diabetes mellitus and even for snake bites. The plant is gaining importance in the Western world and several products are being developed with therapeutic claims (Nakamura et al. 1999). Gymnema sylvestre leaves have a bitter taste and disrupts the ability of the taste buds to sweetness (Warren and Pfaffmann 1959). The active ingredient in Gymnema sylvestre is gymnemic acid which acts as a structural analogue to glucose, thus inhibiting glucose uptake by intestinal mucosal cells thereby reducing blood glucose levels and insulin secretion. Animals supplemented with Gymnemic acids have shown alterations in glucose utilization and enzymatic activities in experimentally induced diabetic animals (Nakamura et al. 1999). Few studies report that gymnemic acid exerts hypolipidemia (Nakamura et al. 1999) (Shigematsu et al. 2001). The objective of the study was in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antioxidant activity of Gymnema sylvestre leaves in Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.