Kalaiselvi Periandavan et al., Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2020, 11(2), 1526-1538 ORIGINAL ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES Published by JK Welfare & Pharmascope Foundation Journal Home Page: www.pharmascope.org/ijrps Gymnemic acid, a potent antidiabetic agent protects skeletal muscle from hyperglycemia mediated oxidative stress and apoptotic events in High fat and High fructose diet fed adult rats Porkodi Karthikeyan, Lakshmi Narasimhan Chakrapani, Thangarajeswari Mohan, Bhavani Tamilarasan, Pughazhendi Kannan, Kalaiselvi Periandavan * Department of Medical Biochemistry, Dr. ALMPGIBMS, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Article History: Received on: 03.09.2019 Revised on: 15.12.2019 Accepted on: 29.12.2019 Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, High-fat diet, Gymnemic acid, Oxidative stress, Apoptosis ABSTRACT Type 2 diabetes is delineated by impaired metabolic ϑlexibility, and intramy- ocellular lipid accumulation, causing insulin resistance, particularly in skele- tal muscle by reducing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. High-fat diet and high fructose (HFD and HF) administration in rodents bestows a model for hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and Type 2 diabetes. The current study is focused on elucidating the role of Gymnemic acid in combating hyperglycemia mediated oxidative stress and apoptotic events in the skeletal muscle of HFD and HF induced Type 2 diabetes in Wistar albino rats by boosting antioxidant defense system. Gymnemic acid, a saponin of triterpene glycoside contained in leaves of Gymnema Sylvestre, has potent anti-diabetic properties. Treatment with Gymnemic acid restored the antioxidant status (Gpx, SOD, CAT, GR, Vit C & Vit E) with signiϑicant (p<0.05) decrease in free radical levels and reinvigo- rated the expression of apoptotic and antiapoptotic proteins in Type 2 diabetic rats. Histopathological data demonstrate that oral administration of Gymne- mic acid protects skeletal muscle ϑibers from an oxidative niche in HFD and HF in Type 2 diabetic rats. In accordance with this, Gymnemic acid might be regarded as a promising therapeutic agent against Type 2 diabetes, thereby restoring skeletal muscle integrity and function. * Corresponding Author Name: Kalaiselvi Periandavan Phone: Email: pkalaiselvi2011@gmail.com ISSN: 0975-7538 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v11i2.2029 Production and Hosted by Pharmascope.org © 2020 | All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic disorder pro- nounced by a rise in the concentration of glucose in the blood because of absolute (type 1) or pro- portionate (type 2) lack of insulin leading to hyper- glycemia. This is associated with the aberrant metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrates (Sk, 2017). DM is one amongst the most important world health emergencies of the twenty-ϑirst cen- tury. According to WHO estimates universally, 422 million adults over eighteen years of age group had diabetes in 2014 (World Health Organizations, 2016) of which, 90% are type 2 diabetic. This alarming increase of diabetes occurring in devel- oping countries, which is mostly due to rising liv- ing standards, sedentary habits, lifestyle changes like obesity and unhealthy diets (Jayaprasad et al., 2018). Many factors are responsible for the cause of DM, including genetics, age, physical inactivity, obe- sity, autoimmunity, resistance to insulin, pancreatic β -cell defects, and low-grade inϑlammation (Leach, 2007). Insulin resistance is broadly deϑined as a decline in 1526 © International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences