Antihyperglycaemic activity of aqueous extract of <i style="">Embelia ribes</i> Burm in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Abstract

Forty days of orally feeding the aqueous <i style="">E. ribes</i> extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) to streptozotocin (40 mg/kg, iv, single dose) induced diabetic rats produced significant decrease in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, blood glycosylated hemoglobin, serum lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase and increase in blood glutathione levels as compared to pathogenic diabetic rats. Further, the extract significantly decreased the levels of pancreatic lipid peroxides and increased the levels of pancreatic superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione. The results suggest that aqueous <i style="">E. ribes </i>extract exhibits a significant blood glucose and blood pressure lowering potential. Further, it enhances endogenous antioxidant defense against free radicals produced under hyperglycaemic conditions, thereby, seemingly protects the pancreatic b-cells against loss in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.