Further Studies on Antioxidant Potential and Protection of Pancreatic β‐Cells by Embelia ribes in Experimental Diabetes

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the antioxidant defense by ethanolic extract of Embelia ribes on streptozotocin-(40 mg/kg, intravenously, single-injection) induced diabetes in Wistar rats. Forty days of oral feeding the extract (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) to diabetic rats resulted in significant (P < .01) decrease in blood glucose, blood glycosylated haemoglobin, serum lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and increase in blood glutathione levels as compared to pathogenic diabetic rats. Further, the extract also significantly (P < .01) decreased the pancreatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) levels and significantly (P < .01) increased the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione levels as compared to above levels in pancreatic tissue of pathogenic diabetic rats. The islets were shrunken in diabetic rats in comparison to normal rats. In the drug-treated diabetic rats, there was expansion of islets. The results of test drug were comparable to gliclazide (25 mg/kg, daily), a standard antihyperglycemic agent. The study concludes that Embelia ribes enhances the antioxidant defense against reactive oxygen species produced under hyperglycemic condition and this protects β-cells against loss, and exhibit antidiabetic property.

Antidiabetic effects ofEmbelia ribesextract in high fat diet and low dose streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats

“…In addition, earlier studies in our laboratory showed that ethanolic extract of E. ribes produced antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effect in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type-1 diabetic rats (Bhandari et al 2002). Moreover, the effect of an ethanolic extract of E. ribes on tissue antioxidants, blood pressure and glycosylated hemoglobin was investigated in streptozotocin-induced oxidative damage in rats (Bhandari et al 2007(Bhandari et al , 2008. Recently, we reported an anti-obesity effect of E. ribes ethanolic extract in a rat model of high fat diet-induced obesity (Bhandari et al 2013).…”

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“…Bhandari et al, 82,83 have reported the antidiabetic, dyslipidemic and antioxidant activity of Embelia ribes Burm in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, using gliclazide as a positive control drug.…”

Impact of Population Structure, Growth Habit and Seedling Ecology on Regeneration of &lt;i&gt;Embelia ribes&lt;/i&gt; Burm. f. —Approaches toward a Quasi &lt;i&gt;in Situ&lt;/i&gt; Conservation Strategy

“…The main active medicinal component in dried fruits of E. ribes is embelin (2, 5-dihydroxy-3-undecyl-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-benzoquinone). This highly valuable medicinal plant has been shown to have antihelmintic [3], antifertility [4,5], antibacterial [6], antidiabetic [7], antitumor, analgesic, antiinflammatory [8,9], antispermatogenic [10], chemopreventive [11] and cardioprotective [12] properties, besides antioxidant activity against methionine-induced hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in the brain [13].…”