AUTHOR=Saka W. A. , Oyekunle O. S. , Akhigbe T. M. , Oladipo O. O. , Ajayi M. B. , Adekola A. T. , Omole A. I. , Akhigbe R. E. 

TITLE=Andrographis paniculata improves glucose regulation by enhancing insulin sensitivity and upregulating GLUT 4 expression in Wistar rats

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1416641

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2024.1416641

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Context</title><p>Although the hypoglycaemic effect of <italic>Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees [Acanthaceae]</italic> has been documented, reports on its effect in an apparently healthy state are limited.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Objective</title><p>This study investigated whether or not <italic>A. paniculata</italic> exerts hypoglycaemic effect in a non-diabetic state. It also explored the impact of <italic>A. paniculata</italic> on glycolytic enzymes and GLUT 4 protein expression, as a possible mode of action.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Methods</title><p>Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into two groups (<italic>n</italic> = 10 rats/group). The control rats were vehicle-treated (0.5 ml of distilled water), while the <italic>A. paniculata</italic>-treated rats had 500 mg/kg of <italic>A. paniculata per os</italic> once daily for 35 days.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Results</title><p><italic>A. paniculata</italic> treatment led to improved insulin sensitivity evidenced by increased HOMA-β (88.08 ± 2.13 vs. 120.80 ± 1.52, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001), HOMA-S (283.60 ± 8.82 vs. 300.50 ± 9.30, <italic>p</italic> = 0.0189), and reduced TyG index (4.22 ± 0.04 vs. 3.95 ± 0.07, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0002) and HOMA-IR (0.32 ± 0.01 vs. 0.25 ± 0.01, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001) when compared with the control. It also improved glucose regulation as depicted by reduced fasting blood glucose (3.77 ± 0.10 vs. 3.24 ± 0.11, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; 7.69 ± 1.15 vs. 5.95 ± 0.82, <italic>p</italic> = 0.0245), and atherogenic dyslipidaemia, including AIP (−0.12 ± 0.03 vs. −0.26 ± 0.03, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001) and CRI-I (2.70 ± 0.29 vs. 1.84 ± 0.27, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001). These findings were accompanied by enhanced hepatic and muscular redox state, increased activities of glycolytic enzymes, upregulated GLUT 4 (0.80 ± 0.27 vs. 6.20 ± 0.84, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001), and increased circulating nitric oxide (5.45 ± 0.24 vs. 6.79 ± 0.33, <italic>p</italic> = 0.0002).</p></sec><sec id="sec5"><title>Conclusion</title><p><italic>A. paniculata</italic> exerts positive effect on glucose metabolism and utilization by improving insulin sensitivity and upregulating the activities of glycolytic enzymes and GLUT 4 protein expression. This implies that <italic>A. paniculata</italic> may be beneficial in preventing insulin resistance and incident diabetes. Nonetheless, it should be used with caution to prevent hypoglycaemia in a non-diabetic state.</p></sec>