Globally, metabolic syndrome has increased a lot and affecting people of the
productive age group. The fruits of Emblica officinalis or Phyllanthus emblica
colloquially known as Amla or Indian gooseberry and their active components have
been investigated and observed to be beneficial. Amla possesses beneficial effects
against metabolic syndrome in both preclinical, and clinical studies. Amla decreases
the components of metabolic syndrome like blood pressure, glucose levels, obesity, and
cholesterol levels. Moreover, hepatic triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and oxidative
stress were also attenuated by amla treatment. Amla was found to augment adiponectin
levels in adipocytes and hepatic PPAR-α levels as well as decline hepatic regulatory
element-binding protein (SREBP-1c) expression caused by high-fat diet in rats. Amla
possesses gallic acid, ellagic acid, and polyphenol, which are also beneficial. Amla
possesses anti-inflammatory properties by downregulating the expression of pERK,
TNF-α, pP38, IL6, COX2, and NOX-4 in metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, amla acts
through liver X receptor (LXR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), PPARγ, cEBPα, FABP4 cyclo-oxygenase-2, SREBP-1c, and NF-κB to improve the components of metabolic
syndrome. This chapter analyses the encouraging properties of Amla fruit, and its
phytoconstituents in metabolic syndrome.
Keywords: Amla, Emblica officinalis, Herb, Indian gooseberry, Metabolic syndrome, Medicine.
