<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Effect of flavonoid rich fraction of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Tephrosia purpurea</i> (Linn.) Pers. on complications associated with streptozotocin-induced type I diabetes mellitus</span>

457-466<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Globally, diabetes is a serious health issue affecting one in 11 adults and consumes 12% of global health expenditure. Prevalence of dyslipidemia in diabetes is not uncommon since decades. Further, patients with type II diabetes have 2-4 folds more risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Plants with antioxidant potential are known to have beneficial effects in diabetes and its complications. Natural compounds, flavonoids particularly, ameliorate hyperglycemia as well as CVD. Here, we evaluated common wasteland weed Tephrosia purpurea, used traditionally as folk medicine to treat many disorders including diabetes. We studied the effect of 8-wk treatment of flavonoid-rich fraction of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">T. purpurea (FFTp) (40 mg/kg/day/p.o.) on various biochemical, cardiovascular and lenticular parameters on streptozotocin (STZ) (45 mg/kg, i.v.) induced type I diabetic rats. STZ administration produced significant hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and altered cardiac biomarkers like lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine kinase and reduced antioxidants in lenticular tissues of rats. Treatment with FFTp significantly prevented STZ-induced hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia as well as cardiovascular markers. We observed decreased rate of pressure development (+dp/dt) and decay (-dp/dt) in STZ diabetic hearts which was prevented by FFTp. Further, the soluble protein levels and the antioxidants were also elevated in the diabetic rats by the treatment. In conclusion, our data suggest that FFTp produces beneficial effects on diabetes induced cardiovascular complications and cataract. Such beneficial actions may be attributed to the antioxidant property of flavonoids, quercetin or rutin, present in T. purpurea. </span

β Receptors: role in cardiometabolic disorders

Pharmacological and molecular approaches have shown that an atypical β-adrenoceptor (AR), called β 3 -AR, that is distinct from β 1 -ARs and β 2 -ARs, exists in some tissues in heterogeneous populations such as β 3a -ARs and β 3b -ARs. β 3 -ARs belong to a superfamily of receptors linked to guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins). The β 3 -AR gene contains two introns whereas the β 1 -AR and β 2 -AR genes are intronless, leading to splice variants. β 3 -ARs can couple to G i and G s and they are reported to be present in brown adipose tissue, vasculature, the heart, among other tissues. β 3 -ARs cause vasodilation of microvessels in the islets of Langerhans and may participate in the pathogenesis of cardiac failure, during which modification of β 1 -AR and β 2 -AR expression occurs. The development of β 3 -AR agonists has led to the elaboration of promising new drugs, including antiobesity and antidiabetic drugs. This article reviews the various pharmacological actions of β 3 -ARs and their clinical implications for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases