Hypolipidemic Effect of Withania somnifera in Sleep Deprivation Stress among Male Wistar rats

In view of growing evidence it seems that lack of sleep increases the risk for developing metabolic syndrome.IGF1 could mediate the atherosclerotic process by affecting the biomarkers of lipid metabolism.Withania somnifera (WS) also known as Ashwagandha is widely used for its medicinal properties.But no reports exist on its effect on lipid metabolism of sleep deprivation induced rats in relation to the tropical growth factor IGF-1. 24 male Wistar rats (120-150g) were divided into 4 groups with 6 animals in each (Group I -cage control, Group II -large platform control, Group IIIsleep deprived & Group IV -WS treated sleep deprived (SD) rats.RT-PCR based mRNA expression analysis of Insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) in the cortex of the study groups was done.Concurrent protein expression analysis was carried out using western blot.Data was analysed by one-way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range tests in SPSS software version 20.Our study demonstrated an inhibitory effect of sleep deprivation on IGF-I concomitant with increased serum TC, TG, LDLc & decreased HDLc levels and the changes on it correlated positively with withania somnifera treatment.