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Diabetes mellitus has spread over the world with 347 million people affected. Insulin resistance is a main pathogenic event in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) leading to a reduction in glucose uptake by peripheral tissue and increased hepatic glucose output. In this study, we have isolated four flavonoid rich fractions fraction A (FA), fraction B (FB), fraction C (FC) and fraction D (FD) from Enicostema littorale. All the fractions were preliminary screened for TLC fingerprinting, total flavonoid content. Total eight flavonoids were identified by LC/MS. Insulin resistant HepG2 (IR/HepG2) model was established by inducing insulin resistance in HepG2 cells to investigate the effect of these fractions on IR/HepG2 cell line for their glucose uptake. The results showed the significant dose dependant increase in glucose uptake of cells treated with FD. It showed significant activity at a concentration of 10μg/ml. The LC/MS results of FD demonstrated the presence of C-glycoside Swertisin which could be responsible for the effect. Further, to investigate the mechanism of action, gene expression for insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), protein kinase B (Akt-2) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4) genes were evaluated by real time PCR. A significant upregulation of these genes was observed in FD treated samples, thereby indicating the enhancement of glucose uptake rate of cells via IRS-1/PI3K/Akt pathway., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction Enicostema littorale blume (A. Raynal) is a traditional Indian plant belongs to the Gentianaceae family. A lot of research has been done on this plant for its antidiabetic activity. However, there are no reports on flavonoids from E. littorale for its antidiabetic activity and their mechanism of action. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of Swertisin rich flavonoid fraction (SRF) from Enicostema littorale blume and their mechanism of action. Materials & methods Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus rat model was established by inducing insulin resistance using high fat diet and low dose of streptozotacin injection and was authenticated by HOMA index. The antidiabetic effect of SRF was evaluated on diabetic rats to investigate its long term effects on fasting blood glucose, OGTT, weight of rats, insulin, liver profile, lipid profile, kidney profile, histopathology of liver and pancreas. In addition, antioxidant activity by lipid peroxidation and catalase assay, ex vivo assays and hepatic glycogen content were performed to determine its effect on glycogenesis and hepatic glucose production. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of SRF was evaluated by Real time PCR and the mRNA expression was quantified for Glucokinase (GCK), Insulin receptor substrate (IRS-1), Glucose transporter-2 (GLUT-2) and Glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) genes. Results Treatment of diabetic rats with SRF demonstrated significant (p < 0.0001) dose dependant hypoglycemic activity as compared to positive control metformin group. A decrease in liver, lipid and kidney function tests was seen as compared to diabetic control indicating normalization of organ function tests. Also, antioxidant activity showed significant decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver (p < 0.001) as compared to pancreas and increased catalytic activity in liver, kidney, spleen and pancreas. The hepatic glycogen content was significantly (p < 0.001) increased in SRF treated rats indicating its inhibition of hepatic glucose production. Furthermore, e x vivo assays showed the significant (p < 0.05) increase in glucose uptake by diaphragm. The mRNA expression for GCK, IRS-1, GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 genes showed significant up regulation as compared to diabetic control indicating its mechanism via insulin signalling pathway. Conclusion The studies suggest that SRF ameliorates the insulin resistance by increasing glucose uptake and sensitizing cells towards insulin via IRS1/PI3K/Akt2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]