Scientific Validation of Antidiabetic Activity of Ethanol Extract of Ficus glomerata Barks and Roots in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The tribal people of Chhattisgarh state of India use Ficus glomerata for the treatment of diabetes therefore we planned to investigate antidiabetic effect of bark and root extract of bark and root in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.  Oral administration of ethanol extract of bark and root of Ficus glomerata at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight was studied in STZ-induced diabetic rats. After administration of extract the fasting blood glucose levels were significantly decreased. The oral glucose tolerance was also improved. The effect of extracts on serum lipid profile like total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were also measured in the diabetic and non diabetic rats. There was significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL and improvement in HDL in diabetic rats were observed. The activity of the plant extracts was comparable with glibenclamide, a well-known antidiabetic drug. These results indicated that Ficus glomerata possesses significant antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effect.