Background: Puguntano (Curanga feel-terrae Merr.) contains flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and steroids/ terpenoids which improved post-receptor insulin signalling in rats model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Aim: This study aimed to determine the effect of puguntano leaf extract on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) levels and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) expression in diabetic rats muscle.
Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats had T2DM induced using a combination of feeding a high-fat diet for 5 weeks and multiple intraperitoneal injections of low-dose streptozotocin (30 mg/kg). The diabetic rats were randomly divided into control and treatment groups, and 200 mg/kg/day puguntano extract was administered orally for 10 days to treatment group. Subsequently, p38 MAPK levels were measured by Sandwich Elisa and plasma membrane GLUT-4 expression was evaluated by Immunohistochemistry in their gastrocnemius muscles.
Results: There were significantly higher p38 MAPK levels and GLUT-4 expression in the treatment group than in the control group.
Conclusion: These data suggest that a puguntano leaf extract can improve post-receptor insulin signalling by enhancing p38 MAPK levels and GLUT-4 expression in a rat model of T2DM.
Keywords: GLUT-4; Puguntano; T2DM; p38 MAPK.