EFFECT OF ACYRANTHUS ASPERA ON HIGH-FAT DIET AND STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCE DIABETIC RATS: ROLE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS, PPAR-Α, GLUT-2 AND INSULIN SIGNALLING

Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder where oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development and progression of the disease. In the present work, the rat model evaluated pancreas and liver tissue damage caused by a high-fat diet and diabetic complications. Male Wistar rats were administered with HFD- corn oil orally for 28 days followed by streptozotocin (STZ) injection to induce diabetes on 29^th day. The drug treatment groups were given low dose (250mg/kg) and high dose (500mg/kg) of hydroalcoholic extract of Achyranthes aspera (HEAA), and its therapeutic efficacy in HFD + diabetes model was compared with the standard drug metformin. Various antioxidant parameters were measured, including MDA, protein, GSH levels, SOD, and CAT activities. The histology of pancreas tissues was also analyzed using Haematoxylin, Eosin, and Masson-trichrome staining. The expression of insulin protein in the pancreas was studied by immunohistochemical technique. The effect of drugs on GLUT-2 and PPAR-α gene expression showed considerable improvement in the liver tissues of different groups. From the results, it can be seen that the anti-diabetic and antihyperlipidemic effect of HEAA seems convincing. HEAA can be used to manage diabetic complications associated with obesity.