Evaluation of the effect of resveratrol on parasitaemia in <i>Plasmodium berghei</i>-induced malaria in diabetic male Wistar rats

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS); which is mostly caused by a high-carbohydrate highfat diet (HCHFD) as well as a sedentary lifestyle; is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and hepatic complications. In this study, we investigated the effect of supplementation with ursolic acid (UA) on MS parameters induced by HCHFD in male Wistar rats.

Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats, aged 8-9 weeks old, weighing 120 - 170 grams, and randomly divided into 4 groups (n =5) were used. Group I received  normal diet (ND) and distilled water (DW); group II received ND and UA; group III received HCHFD and DW; group IV received HCHFD and UA.  HCHFD was formulated in-house and the drinking water was augmented with 20% fructose. The animals were fed their respective diets daily for 20  weeks. A dose of 250 mg/kg body weight of ursolic acid was adopted and administered orally to UAtreated groups starting 12 weeks after initiation of the  HCHFD for a further 8 weeks. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured every four weeks and percentage  increases were determined. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed and the area under the curve (AUC) was determined. Blood  samples were obtained for serum insulin and lipid profile. Insulin resistance was determined using the homeostatic model assessment for insulin  resistance (HOMA-IR). Histopathological evaluation of liver tissue was performed using the hematoxylin and eosin staining technique.

Results: The  increase in BMI and FBG of the HCHFD+UA group was significantly lower (P<0.05) compared to the HCHFD+DW group. The HCHFD+DW group had a  higher (P<0.05) HOMA-IR and AUC for OGTT compared to HCHFD+UA. There was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in serum insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride,  and LDL-C in the HCHFD+UA group compared to the HCHFD+DW group, while HDL-C significantly (P<0.05) increased in the HCHFD+UA group compared  to HCHFD+DW group.

Conclusion: In this study, UA supplementation prevented the development of MS in male Wistar rats fed with HCHFD for 20 weeks.  This suggests that UA has the potential to be considered for the management of MS.