Evaluation of Ramipril on Blood Sugar Level and Interaction with the Oral Anti-diabetic Drugs in Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats

Aim: The present study investigates the effect of Ramipril on blood sugar level and interaction with the oral anti-diabetic drugs in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Method: Rats were divided into 10 groups (n = 6) where Group I –II were normal and Group III –X were diabetic. Ramipril at the dose of 0.9 mg/kg body weight were administered to the normal and diabetic rats. In diabetic groups, the Ramipril was given concomitantly with the each of three Oral anti-diabetic drugs to find-out the effect on blood sugar level .All drugs administered orally once a day for 13 days and at the end of the experimentation Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) was conducted. Results: It was observed that in normal rats the Ramipril slightly reduced the blood sugar level which was insignificant (P>0.05) except at ‘30’ min time point. In contrast in, it exhibited the anti-hyperglycemic activity significantly (P≤0.01) at all-time points in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Conclusion: The present study has concluded that The Ramipril has significant anti-hyperglycemic activities which accentuate the effect of oral anti-diabetic drugs in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) describes a metabolic syndrome of multiple etiologies characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with alteration of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Approximately 140 million people are suffered from diabetes worldwide 1-2 . The chronic hyperglycemia of DM is associated with long-term damage, dysfunction and failure of various vital organs, especially the heart, kidneys, nerves, eyes and blood vessels 3 . QUICK RESPONSE CODE DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.4(8).2933-38 Article can be accessed online on: www.ijpsr.com DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.4(8).2933-38 Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal failure (ESRD) in western countries and carries a 20to 40-fold increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) mortality. In the past 2 decades, there has been a continual increase in the incidence of ESRD among patients with diabetes, predominantly those with type 2 diabetes 4-5 . In diabetic patients, ACE inhibitors prevent the development and progression of incipient or established nephropathy 6-7 and delay the progression of diabetic retinopathy 8 . Recently, the Ramipril was demonstrated to reduce death, cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction and stroke), progression of diabetic nephropathy, and even the number of new cases of diabetes in high risk patients 9-10 .