Geranium oil ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in high fat high sucrose diet induced metabolic complications in rats

• Geranium oil prevents insulin resistance in diet induced metabolic complications.
• GO protects endothelial dysfunction through restoring serum NO level.
• Cardiac (ECG) changes significantly normalize by GO in dietary complications.
• GO protects lipid disturbances in diet induced complications.
• Improved antioxidant enzyme levels revealed therapeutic potential of GO.

The protective effect of geranium oil (GO) on insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, endothelial dysfunction and associated cardiovascular changes in rats fed with high fat sucrose (HFS) diet was evaluated. HFS diet (20% fat and 30% sucrose) was fed to wistar rats for 12 weeks to induce metabolic complications and treated with different doses of GO (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o.) for the last 6 weeks. Prolonged administration of HFS diet led to metabolic syndrome characterized by significant increase in plasma glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) along with decreased high density lipoprotein (HDL), serum nitric oxide (NO) levels and impaired glucose tolerance. Furthermore HFS diet resulted in significant increase in mean arterial pressure, electrocardiographic changes and reduced acetylcholine induced endothelial dependent relaxation of rat aorta along with elevated oxidative stress (reduced superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S transferase and increased TBARS level). Treatment with GO positively modulated the altered parameters in dose dependent manner suggesting overall beneficial effects of GO on HFS diet associated detrimental changes.