Antidiabetic activities of Phyllanthus emblica: An updated review

With increasing cases of diabetes mellitus in developing countries, limited access to the medication has become a major public health challenge. To overcome, scientists have researched traditional medicines deriving from plants, including Phyllanthus emblica. To set the trajectory of our research on diabetic activities of P. emblica, we performed a systematic review on the Scopus database using certain pre-determined terms combination and eligibility criteria. From the literature search, we found 8 articles eligible for inclusion in this review. The earliest literature was published in 2009, whilst the latest – in 2022, indicating the prospect of researching P. emblica as antidiabetic agents. Studies were having in-vitro and in-vivo designs, where none have entered clinical trials. The reported studies observed significant reductions in diabetes indicators including blood glucose level, HbA1c, total glyceride levels, and advanced glycation end products. The aforementioned parameters are significant markers for diabetes and its complications. At least two studies had highlighted the role of P. emblica in inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and improving liver-specific enzymes which are helpful in treating diabetes-related organ dysfunctions. Most of the studies reported strong antioxidant effects of P. emblica extracts based on multiple assays viz 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Inhibitions against diabetes-related enzymes (α-glucosidase and α-amylase) were also reported. Nevertheless, all the aforementioned results were derived from hydro-alcoholic extracts of the fruits, where none has investigated the other part of the plant. Hence, at the end of this review, authors proposed that studies on antidiabetic activities be conducted for the other parts of P. emblica plants.