Recent decades have witnessed a sharp increase in the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes
mellitus. One antidiabetic therapeutic approach is to reduce gastrointestinal glucose production
and
absorption through the inhibition of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes such as -amylase and glucosidase.
In this study, crude extracts and their corresponding fractions of flowers, fruits, (stems and
leaves)
and roots of the endemic North African plant Scabiosa arenaria Forssk. were screened for their
ability
of -glucosidase inhibition. It was found that the fruits ethyl acetate (EtOAc), the fruits butanolic
(n-BuOH)
and the flowers ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fractions inhibited -glucosidase in a non competitive
manner with IC
values of 0.11 ± 0.09, 0.28 ± 0.04 and 0.221 ± 0.01 mg/ml, respectively. RP-HPLC
analysis
indicated that the major components of these active fractions are flavonoid aglycone, cinnamic
acid
and its derivatives. This result supports the conclusion that the three studied fractions could be
a
useful natural source for the development of a novel -glucosidase inhibitory agent against diabetic
complications.
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