Antidiabetic Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Ficus glomerata (L.) Roots

Background: Ficus glomerata (F. glomerata) Linn. Family Moraceace is a large tree found all over India including outer Himalayan ranges, Punjab, Chota Nagpur, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Deccan and also as a common plant in South India. It is planted around the home and temples. It is cultivated throughout the year, distributed in evergreen forests and moist localities. Objective: The Ethanolic Extract of roots of F. Glomerata (EEFG) belonging to the family Moraceace, was investigated for its antidiabetic activity using alloxan induced diabetic rats. Methods: Thirty rats were divided into 5 groups having 6 rats in each group. The alloxan was administered to the rats of all groups except normal control group through intraperitoneal route at a concentration of 140mg/kg body weight. A dose of 100mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight of EEFG was administered to alloxan induced diabetic rats. The administration of the extract was lasted for 11 days. Effectiveness of the extract on glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and high density lipoprotein and protein concentrations was analyzed. Results: Significant (p<0.05) reduction in the levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride of the diabetic rats was observed after treatment with ethanolic extract. After subjecting to oral glucose tolerance test EEFG also showed significant improvement in glucose tolerance. Conclusion: F. glomerata root ethanolic extract showed that it possesses antidiabetic effect and can be found useful for the management of diabetes mellitus.