Alpha Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities of Plants with Focus on Common Vegetables

Abstract

Type-2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases in the world, and is characterized by hyperglycemia (i.e., high levels of glucose in the blood). Alpha-glucosidases are enzymes in the digestive tract that hydrolyze carbohydrates into glucose. One strategy that has been developed to treat type-2 diabetes is inhibition of the activity of alpha-glucosidases using synthetic drugs. However, these inhibitors are usually associated with gastrointestinal side effects. Therefore, the development of inhibitors from natural products offers an alternative option for the control of hyperglycemia. In recent years, various studies have been conducted to identify alpha-glucosidases inhibitors from natural sources such as plants, and many candidates have transpired to be secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and terpenoids. In this review, we focus on the alpha-glucosidases inhibitors found in common vegetable crops and the major classes of phytochemicals responsible for the inhibitory activity, and also as potential/natural drug candidates for the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, possible breeding strategies for production of improved vegetable crops with higher content of the inhibitors are also described.Plants 2020, 9, 2 2 of 17 potential α-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) have been extensively screened or studied and acarbose, miglitol, voglibose, and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) are currently commercialized anti-glucosidase drugs (Figure 1; [7]) against type-2 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body becomes resistant to the normal effects of insulin, resulting in ineffectiveness at managing the blood glucose levels.

Annona cherimola Miller Fruit as a Promising Candidate against Diabetic Complications: An In Vitro Study and Preliminary Clinical Results

“…Some studies revealed the presence of α-glucosidase inhibitors in leaves, root, bark, and fruit extracts of various medicinal plants, such as in the leaves extract from Morus alba , mango ( Mangifera indica L.), or in the extract of peel, seeds, pulp, and flakes of jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus ). Grape seed and green tea extracts have proven to be effective inhibitors of α-glucosidase activity [ 12 ].…”

“…Moreover, since α-glucosidase enzyme is one of the main glycolytic enzymes responsible for digesting carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract, α-glucosidase inhibitors are often used as a therapeutic strategy to monitor glucose in diabetics by reducing the intestinal carbohydrate metabolism rate and achieving better glycemic control [ 10 ]. Increasing evidence reveals the presence of α-glucosidase inhibitors in numerous plants, thus motivating researchers to explore several diverse plants as a source of biologically active compounds with hypoglycemic activity [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Although antidiabetic drugs have been improved over the past decade, drug resistance is still a major concern to be addressed with effective approaches.…”

1-Ethyl 2-methyl 3,4-bis(acetyloxy)pyrrolidine-1,2-dicarboxylate: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational chemistry

“…Imino-and aza-sugars are strong inhibitors of the enzyme and are attracting current interest for chaperone therapy of Gaucher disease (Matassini et al, 2020). The trihydroxyl-substituted compound, aminociclitol, (I), is a known -glucosidase inhibitor and is a natural product, being found in several plants (Assefa et al, 2020). The synthesis of (I) can proceed from several key intermediates (Garcia, 2008;Liu & Ma, 2017) and it is this consideration that prompted the structural investigation of the title compound, C 13 H 19 NO 8 , (II).…”

Therapeutic Potential of β-Caryophyllene: A Dietary Cannabinoid in Diabetes and Associated Complications

“…Mounting evidence indicate that various fruits, vegetables, and whole grains including fermented products, legumes, nuts, green tea, spices, propolis, olive oil, red wine (resveratrol), herbs, and spices are beneficial in T2DM, obesity, and metabolic syndrome due to the presence of non-nutritive secondary metabolites termed as phytochemicals [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The dietary bioactive phytochemicals play significant role in maintaining health and wellness attributed to their potent pharmacological effects that translate to medicinal benefits [ 19 ].…”

“…Phytochemicals belong to numerous classes such as polyphenols, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, pigments, and unsaturated fatty acids [ 20 ]. Many of the edible plants and phytochemicals are suggested to be useful in T2DM and delay and or prevent complications exerting a pronounced beneficial effect in controlling hyperglycemia due to potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”