The plant extracts were also analyzed for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity,which is considered a therapeutic target for the modulation of postprandial hyperglycemia.The hexane extract exhibited the marked concentration-dependent inhibition of α-glucosidase compared to the other extracts.This finding clearly implied that the synergistic effects of the compounds in the hexane extract not only led to cytotoxicity to the liver carcinoma cells but also the inhibition of α-glucosidase. The inhibition of this enzyme is important for delaying carbohydrate absorption from the upper small intestine, thus reducing postprandial
hyperglycemia(Shobana et al.,2009). However,the enzymatic inhibition of the hexane extract was found to be lower than that of acarbose (the positive control),which is often associated with a gastrointestinal disturbance side effect(Li et al.,2011).