The substantial increase in caloric intake and reduction in physical activity throughout the world have resulted in a pandemic of obesity that in turn has led to an enormous increase in the incidence of T2DM which accounts for more than 90% of the diabetic population. Diabetes can results in severe morbidity and increased mortality as a result of secondary complications which affect multiple body systems via micro and macrovascular complications. Insulin resistance in T2DM leads to lipid accumulation in the muscle and liver aggravating the metabolic disturbances. Evidence continues to accumulate that glycemic and lipid control influences atherosclerotic disease progression. Reducing the burden of atherogenic lipoproteins in serum is unequivocally associated with reductions in the risk of cardiovascular events and may also ameliorate microvascular damage. Recently, we have synthesized a new zincdiosmin complex, characterized by various spectral studies and evaluated its antidiabetic as well as antioxidant properties in HFD-low dose STZ induced experimental type 2 diabetes in rats. In this study, an effort has been made to explore the hypolipidemic potential of the zinc-diosmin complex in experimental diabetes. Diabetic rats were treated with zinc-diosmin complex (20 mg/kg b.w.) orally for 30 days. The levels of fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and plasma insulin were measured. In addition, the levels of lipids and lipoproteins were analyzed. Increased levels of fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and decreased plasma insulin level in diabetic rats were brought back to near normalcy upon oral administration of zinc-diosmin complex. Diabetic rats showed elevated levels total cholesterol, free fatty acids, triglyceride, and phospholipids in the serum, hepatic and kidney tissues, which was restored to normalcy in diabetic rats treated with zinc-diosmin complex. In addition, the diminished level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and elevated low-density and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the serum of diabetic rats were normalized upon oral administration of zinc-diosmin complex. The data obtained clearly exemplify the hypolipidemic properties of the zinc-diosmin complex.
