The effect of Acalypha indica Linn. extract on insulin resistance in Sprague-Dawley rats after induction of high cholesterol-high fructose diet

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, inadequate insulin secretion, and excessive glucagon secretion. Metformin is the first-line medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Prolonged use of metformin can cause mild and serious side effects. One of the alternative herbal remedies used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus is Acalypha indica Linn (AI). The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of ethanol extract AI to insulin resistance. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats are divided into six group, four groups (negative control, metformin 100 mg/kgBW/day, AI extract 250 mg/kgBW/day, combination metformin and AI extract) are induced with high fructose and high cholesterol diet; while two other groups (normal and normal treated with AI extract) are given normal diet. After four weeks of treatment, rats were terminated and laboratory test was performed to see plasma insulin level using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that AI extract significantly reduced plasma insulin level (p=0,018), similar to metformin (p=0,009), compare with negative control. In addition, we also calculate insulin resistance index using the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) based on plasma insulin level and blood glucose level. The combination of metformin and AI extract significantly decreased the insulin resistance index compared with the negative control (p=0,034). Therefore, AI extract can be used as a complementary to metformin therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus and also as a prevention therapy of insulin resistance on normal individual.