Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of pioglitazone, insulin and synbiotic in diabetic rats

AIM The objective of the study was to assess the effect of combination treatment of insulin, pioglitazone and synbiotic on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Diabetes mellitus was induced chemically by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (40 mg/kg b.wt) to male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided randomly into six groups of six rats in each. Group 1 was maintained as a normal control. Group 2 was maintained as diabetic control; Group 3 was treated with insulin; Group 4 with insulin + synbiotic; Group 5 with insulin + pioglitazone; and Group 6 with insulin + synbiotic + pioglitazone. All the animals were treated for 60 days. RESULTS Body weights, and concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH), and high-density lipoproteins cholesterol were significantly (p<0.05) reduced, whereas the concentration of blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, protein carbonyls and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, and the activity of GSH peroxidase were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in Group 2 at the end of 8(th) week as compared to Group 1. The treatment Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 revealed improvement in all the parameters, and the highest improvement was observed in combination Group 6. CONCLUSION From this study, it is concluded that combination of insulin, pioglitazone and synbiotic is useful in treating diabetes.