title: Evaluation of antiobesity and cardioprotective effect of Gymnema sylvestre extract in murine model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity plays a central role in the insulin resistance syndrome, which is associated with hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The present study was done to assess the effect of Gymnema sylvestre extract (GSE) in the high fat diet (HFD)-induced cellular obesity and cardiac damage in Wistar rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult male Wistar rats (150-200 g body weight) were used in this study. HFD was used to induce obesity. Body mass index, hemodynamic parameters, serum leptin, insulin, glucose, lipids, apolipoprotein levels, myocardial apoptosis, and antioxidant enzymes were assessed. Organ and visceral fat pad weights and histopathological studies were also carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral feeding of HFD (20 g/day) for a period of 28 days resulted in a significant increase in body mass index, organ weights, visceral fat pad weight, cardiac caspase-3, cardiac DNA laddering (indicating apoptotic inter-nucleosomal DNA fragment), and lipid peroxide levels of cardiac tissues of rats. Further, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, serum leptin, insulin, LDH, LDL-C, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein-B levels were enhanced significantly, whereas serum HDL-C, apoliporotein-A1 levels, and cardiac Na(+) K(+) ATPase, antioxidant enzymes levels were significantly decreased. Furthermore, treatment with standardized ethanolic GSE (200 m/kg/p.o.) for a period of 28 days resulted in significant reversal of above mentioned changes in the obese Wistar rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study has demonstrated the significant antiobesity potential of GSE in murine model of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, New Delhi-110062, India.
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Uma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bhandari
authors.forename: Chakra Dhar
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: Geetika
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khanna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D031104:Gymnema sylvestre; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Cardiomyocyte apoptosis; Gymnema sylvestre; insulin; leptin; obesity