Effects of asiatic acid, an active constituent in Centella asiatica (L.): restorative perspectives of streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced changes on lipid profile and lipid metabolic enzymes in diabetic rats

The present study was aimed to evaluate the restorative efficacy of asiatic acid (AA), an active constituent in Centella asiatica (L.) in streptozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide (NAD)-induced diabetic rats. Male Wistar albino rats were made diabetic with STZ-NAD administration and assessed the effect of AA (20, 30, and 40 mg/kg body weight per day, for 45 days) on body weight, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, lipid metabolic parameters in plasma and tissue (liver and kidney), and histopathology of liver in control and experimental diabetic rats. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in the concentrations of plasma and tissue lipids cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, and phospholipids and low-density and very low-density lipoproteins, and a decrease in the concentration of high-density lipoproteins were observed in diabetic rats. A significant elevation in the activity and expression of 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in plasma and tissue and a concomitant decline in the activity of plasma lipoprotein lipase and lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase were observed in diabetic rats. The pathological abnormalities in plasma and tissues of diabetic rats were significantly ameliorated by AA supplementation for a period of 45 days and offered great support to the biochemical findings. AA also reduced the fat accumulation in the liver and protected from the hepatic steatosis. In conclusion, AA exhibited antidiabetic potential through extenuating hyperglycemic status, changing insulin resistance by alleviating metabolic dysregulation of lipid profile in both plasma and tissues.