Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder. The plant Syzygium cumini has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes. The present study investigated the effect of ethanol extract of S. cumini seeds on uptake of glucose by L-6 rat skeletal muscle cells. S. cumini seeds were extracted with varying solvents and quantitative phytochemical analysis was carried out, ethanol extract of seeds exhibited higher content of tested phytochemicals. The effect of different concentrations (300µg/ml – 1000µg/ml) of ethanol extract of seeds were studied on glucose uptake activity of L-6 rat skeletal muscle cells. It was observed that with the increase in concentration, the glucose uptake activity was also increased. The results of the study supports and demonstrates the antidiabetic potential of ethanol seed extracts of Syzygium cumini utilizing in vitro model. KEY WORDS: Diabetes mellitus, Syzygium cumini, phytochemicals, glucose uptake, L-6 cells

Introduction and Aim: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder leads to many secondary complications. The drugs used for treatment causes serious side effects. Syzygium cumini is used in traditional medicine for treating many diseases. The aim of the present study is to estimate phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity, ? – amylase and ? – glucosidase inhibitory activities of ethanol extract of seeds of S. cumini by in vitro methodology. Materials and Methods: The powdered seeds were extracted with ethanol. Quantitative analysis of Total alkaloids, Total phenols, Total flavonoids, Total tannins, Total saponins and Total steroids were carried out. DPPH scavenging activity, ? – amylase and ? – glucosidase inhibitory activities were measured with varying concentration of extract. Results: Total alkaloids content was observed to be higher followed by Total phenol content. Total saponin was found to be present in lesser amount among the tested phytochemicals. 500 µg/ml and above concentrations of seed extract possess above 90% DPPH scavenging activity; 1000 µg/ml concentration of the extract exhibited 43.20% and 19.80% inhibition activity on ? – amylase and ? – glucosidase enzymes. Conclusion: The above results indicate a higher antioxidant activity and appreciable inhibitory activities of enzymes responsible for elevated circulation of glucose. These activities are due to the presence of phytochemicals present in the seeds extract of S. cumini and can be utilized for the management of Diabetes.