Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder marked by elevated blood glucose levels due to insufficient insulin production or action. This condition has become a major health concern globally, including in Indonesia. The increasing prevalence of DM in Indonesia poses significant health challenges, prompting exploration of traditional medicinal plants as alternative treatments. Ciplukan (Physalis angulata Linn) is known for its antidiabetic effect in Indonesians. Previous studies showed that the active fraction (AF) increased glucose absorption in C2C12 cells. This study aims to investigate the effect of P. angulata’s AF on insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) Tyr-612 and Akt Ser-473 phosphorylation in insulin-resistant C2C12 cells. Treatment of well-differentiated C2C12 cells with palmitate was conducted to induce insulin resistance. The insulin-resistant C2C12 cells were divided into four groups: the negative control and the treated groups each with 4-, 12- and 24-hour incubation time. Expression of p-IRS-1 Tyr-612 and p-Akt Ser-473 in insulin-resistant C2C12 cells was measured by a western blot analysis. The AF of P. angulata appeared to have an antidiabetic effect by increasing phosphorylation of IRS-1 Tyr-612 and Akt Ser-473 in insulin-resistant C2C12 cells after 24 hours of incubation (p < 0.05).

Key words: P. angulata’s active fraction; C2C12 cells; insulin resistance; IRS-1 Tyr-612; Akt Ser-473