Research Article Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) Leaf Extract Attenuates Hyperglycemia and Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Diabetic Rats Klinsmann Carolo dos Santos, 1,2 Bianca Guerra Bueno, 1 Luana Ferreira Pereira, 1 Fabiane Valentini Francisqueti, 1 Mariana Gobbo Braz, 1 Lahis Fernandes Bincoleto, 1 Lilian Xavier da Silva, 3 Ana Lúcia A. Ferreira, 1 Ana Cláudia de Melo Stevanato Nakamune, 3 C.-Y. Oliver Chen, 2 Jeffrey B. Blumberg, 2 and Camila Renata Corrêa 1 1 S˜ ao Paulo State University (UNESP), Medical School, Botucatu, SP, Brazil 2 Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufs University, Boston, MA, USA 3 S˜ ao Paulo State University (UNESP), Dentistry School, Arac ¸atuba, SP, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Camila Renata Corrˆ ea; correa.camila9@gmail.com Received 15 March 2017; Revised 6 June 2017; Accepted 12 June 2017; Published 20 July 2017 Academic Editor: Luigi Milella Copyright © 2017 Klinsmann Carolo dos Santos et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Te efects of hydroethanolic extract of Yacon leaves (HEYL) on antioxidant, glycemic, and infammatory biomarkers were tested in diabetic rats. Outcome parameters included glucose, insulin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity (HAC) in serum and IL-6, HAC, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in soleus. Te rats (10/group) were divided as follows: C, controls; C + Y, HEYL treated; DM, diabetic controls; and DM + Y, diabetic rats treated with HEYL. Diabetes mellitus was induced by administration of streptozotocin. C + Y and DM + Y groups received 100 mg/kg HEYL daily via gavage for 30 d. Hyperglycemia was improved in the DM + Y versus DM group. Insulin was reduced in DM versus C group. DM rats had higher IL-6 and MDA and lower HAC in the soleus muscle. HEYL treatment decreased IL-6 and MDA and increased HAC in DM rats. DM + Y rats had the highest CAT activity versus the other groups; GPx was higher in C + Y and DM + Y versus their respective controls. Te apparent beneft of HEYL may be mediated via improving glucoregulation and ameliorating oxidative stress and infammation, particularly in diabetic rats. 1. Introduction Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) occurs by autoimmune- mediated destruction of pancreatic -cells, leading to insulin defciency and loss of glycemic control. Te hyperglycemia that occurs in diabetes increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and weakens antioxidant defense, resulting in enhanced oxidative stress [1]. ROS mediate several biochemical and molecular pathways that can exacer- bate oxidative stress [2], such as activating the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B), which increases the transcription of infammatory cytokines and chemokines [3] promoting infammation. Moreover, uncontrolled ROS gen- eration could also attack the cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids leading to cellular dysfunction including loss of energy metabolism, alteration on cell signaling and cell cycle control, mutations, and infammation. In addition, it plays a role in several pathological processes in skeletal muscle [4]. Tese reactive species are important signaling molecules necessary for muscle function and for adaptive response to stress [5]. However, overproduction of ROS and decrease of the antioxidant defense have negative impact on muscle function, as impaired muscle growth and strength and altered metabolic capacity [6]. Hindawi Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2017, Article ID 6418048, 9 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6418048