Combined Effects Gymnema Sylvestre and Glibenclamide on Alloxan Induced Diabetic Mice

The present investigation was designed to investigate the combined effects of Gymnema sylvestre (GS) and glibenclamide (GLB) in the regulation of alloxan induced diabetes mellitus and tissue lipid peroxidation in mice. Ethanolic extract of GS (600 mg/kg body weight) and GLB (500 μg/kg body weight) were treated either alone or in combination for 15 days in alloxan (200 mg/kg body weight) induced swiss albino mice, following which alterations in glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) levels as well as lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver, kidney, heart, muscle, testis and brain tissues were examined. Administration of alloxan increased LPO, glucose level and other serum parameters significantly which were reversed by the administration of GS or GLB alone or their combination. Test drugs also showed a significant increase in the levels of SOD, CAT and GSH in all the tissues which were declined by alloxan treatment. However, when both the drugs were administered simultaneously, the beneficial effects were more pronounced as compared to their individual effects. Therefore, our findings suggest a supplementation of GS extract along with glibenclamide for better diabetic control.