Extraction, identification, and starch‐digestion inhibition of phenolics from Euryale ferox seed coat

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Euryale ferox is an important cash crop and valuable tonic in traditional medicine. The seeds of E. ferox are rich in starch, which is hard to digest, and the digestion speed is significantly slower than that of rice starch. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of E. ferox seed-coat phenolics (EFCPs) on the digestion of E. ferox seed starch. RESULTS: EFCPs were extracted and identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We optimized the extraction parameters, and the final extraction yield was about 1.49%. We identified seven phenolics from the E. ferox seed-coat extracts: gallic acid, digalloylhexoside, catechin, procyanidin B2, epicatechin, ellagic acid, and epicatechin gallate. Quantitative analysis results showed that the E. ferox seed phenolics mainly distributed in the seed coat and the gallic acid, digalloylhexoside, and epicatechin gallate were three main phenolic compounds. The phenolics displayed strong inhibitory activities on ⊍-glucosidase and ⊍-amylase with an IC 50 of 3.25 ∼g mL −1 and 1.36 mg mL −1 respectively. Furthermore, these phenolics could interact with starch by hydrogen bonds, which might make its starch more difficult to digest. CONCLUSION: Our investigation suggests that the EFCPs can strongly inhibit the digestion of E. ferox seed starch by inhibiting the ⊍-amylase and ⊍-glucosidase activities and interacting with starch by hydrogen bonds; therefore, E. ferox seeds have a promising application prospect in foods for hypoglycemia.

New Insights into the Latest Advancement in α-Amylase Inhibitors of Plant Origin with Anti-Diabetic Effects

“…A flavone derivative, 5-hydroxy-2-(4-methoxy-3-((E)-3-methylbut-1-enyl)-5-(3-methylbut-3-enyl)phenyl)chroman-4-one ( Figure 5 a), identified in Andrographis echioides leaf, was found to dramatically inhibit α-amylase (IC 50 = 3.35 µg/mL) and enhance glucose intake in the 3T3-L1 and L6 cell lines [ 134 ]. Another study conducted by Zhang et al [ 136 ] revealed that epicatechin gallate ( Figure 5 b) (IC 50 = 0.92 mg/mL) isolated from Euryale ferox seed coat possessed good inhibitory effects against α-amylase in comparison to acarbose (IC 50 = 1.08 mg/mL). Similarly, Wu and Tian [ 138 ] isolated a new flavone glycoside, tricetin 4′- O -β-glucopyranoside ( Figure 5 c), along with a known flavone, Tricetin ( Figure 5 d), from the flowers of Punica granatum .…”