Protective effect of Gymnema montanum against renal damage in experimental diabetic rats

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 47; no. 10; pp. 2516 - 2521
• Main Authors: Ramkumar, Kunga Mohan, Ponmanickam, Ponnirul, Velayuthaprabhu, Shanmugam, Archunan, Govindaraju, Rajaguru, Palanisamy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2009
• Subjects: animal disease models; Animals; Antioxidant; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Asclepiadaceae; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Body Weight - drug effects; catalase; creatinine; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - pathology; Diabetic Nephropathies - drug therapy; Diabetic Nephropathies - metabolism; Diabetic Nephropathies - pathology; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Free radical; free radical scavengers; glutathione peroxidase; glutathione transferase; Glyburide - pharmacology; glycemic control; glycemic effect; Gymnema; Gymnema - chemistry; Gymnema montanum; herbal medicines; herbs; hydroperoxides; hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; indigenous species; Kidney - drug effects; Kidney - pathology; Kidney damage; kidneys; lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Medicinal plants; nephrotoxicity; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; Organ Size - drug effects; Oriental traditional medicine; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal; Proteinuria - drug therapy; Proteinuria - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; superoxide dismutase; thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances; urea; uric acid; India; Medicinal plants; Gymnema montanum; Kidney damage; Antioxidant; Free radical
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2009.07.010

Gymnema montanum Hook (Asclepiadaceae), is an endemic plant species of India, traditionally used for diabetes and its management. In this experiment, the ethanol extract of G. montanum (GLEt) at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight was tested to evaluate its effect on renal damage in alloxan-induced diabetic rats and the efficacy was compared with standard hypoglycemic drug, glibenclamide (600 μg/kg body weight). The GLEt and glibenclamide were administered orally for 3 weeks and the effects on glucose, insulin, renal markers including urea, creatinine and uric acid, lipid peroxidation markers including thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) and hydroperoxides and antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities in kidney were studied. In addition, the urinary protein profile was studied using SDS–PAGE. The results indicated that the GLEt significantly normalized the elevated blood glucose, renal markers and lipid peroxidation markers and increased antioxidant levels in diabetic kidney. The diabetic rats excreted large amount of proteins than untreated rats which was normalized during the treatment with GLEt. In conclusion, the GLEt was found to be more effective in reducing oxidative stress, thus confirming the ethnopharmacological use of G. montanum in protecting diabetes and its complications.