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Embelia ribesis extensively used in the traditional Indian system of medicine for treatment of various disorders. We herein investigated the antidiabetic effects of E. ribesethanolic extract in high fat diet (HFD) and low dose streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetes in Wistar rats. HFD-fed and low dose STZ (35 mg kg−1, i.p)-induced diabetic rats were treated with E. ribesextract (100 and 200 mg kg−1day−1) or metformin (180 mg kg−1day−1) for 21 days while continuing on HFD. Antihyperglycemic effects of E. ribesextract were demonstrated by significant reduction (p<0.01) in fasting blood glucose, hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity and increased glycogen content, whereas insulin sensitizing effects were seen during oral glucose tolerance testing. In addition, it significantly (p<0.01) restored the elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reduced hepatic fatty degeneration, oxidative changes and the reversal of circulating levels of serum lipids, lipase, insulin, leptin and adiponectin towards normal in diabetic rats. These findings demonstrated the antidiabetic potential of E. ribesextract in HFD-fed and low dose STZ-treated diabetic rats. This may be associated with strong antioxidant potential and restoration of the serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, insulin and lipids.

Diabetes mellitus has been treated orally with herbal remedies based on folk medicine since ancient times. Embelia ribes burm (Myrsinaceae), known commonly as vidanga, was used in Ayurveda for its anthelmintic activity. Ayurveda describes vidanga as pungent, causes increase in digestive fire, and cures flatulence and colic. A single study reported the antihyperglycemic activity of decoction of E. ribes in glucose-induced hyperglycemic albino rabbits. In the present study, the lipid-lowering and antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract of E. ribes burm was investigated in streptozotocin (40 mg/kg, IV, single injection)-induced diabetes in rats. Twenty days of orally feeding the extract (200 mg/kg) to diabetic rats resulted in significant (P < 0.01) decrease in blood glucose, serum total cholesterol, and triglycerides, and increase in HDLcholesterol levels when compared to pathogenic diabetic rats. Further, the extract also lowered the liver and pancreas thiobarbituric acid–reactive substances (TBARSs) values (P < 0.01) when compared to TBARS values of liver and pancreas of pathogenic diabetic rats. The results of test drug were comparable to gliclazide (25 mg/kg, orally), a standard antihyperglycemic agent. This is the first pilot study to provide biochemical evidence of potential of E. ribes in diabetic dyslipidemia.