Characterization, Hypoglycemic Activity, and Antioxidant Activity of Methanol Extracts From Amomum tsao-ko: in vitro and in vivo Studies

Insight into the phytochemical profile and antimicrobial activities of Amomum subulatum and Amomum xanthioides: an in vitro and in silico study

Introduction

Medicinal plants have been considered as potential source of therapeutics or as starting materials in drugs formulation.

Methods

The current study aims to shed light on the therapeutic potential of the Amomum subulatom and Amomum xanthioides Fruits by analyzing the phytochemical composition of their seeds and fruits using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques to determine the presence of bioactive components such as flavonoids, phenols, vitamins, steroids, and essential oils.

Results and Discussion

The protein content is usually higher than the total lipids in both species except the fruit of A. subulatum which contain more lipids than proteins. The total protein contents for A. subulatum were 235.03 ± 21.49 and 227.49 ± 25.82 mg/g dry weight while for A. xanthioides were 201.9 ± 37.79 and 294.99 ± 37.93 mg/g dry weight for seeds and fruit, respectively. The Carvacrol levels in A. subulatum is 20 times higher than that in A. xanthioides. Lower levels of α-Thujene, Phyllanderenes, Ascaridole, and Pinocarvone were also observed in both species. According to DPPH (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) assay, seed the extract of A. subulatum exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (78.26±9.27 %) followed by the seed extract of A. xanthioides (68.21±2.56 %). Similarly, FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) assay showed that the highest antioxidant activity was exhibited by the seed extract of the two species; 20.14±1.11 and 21.18±1.04 µmol trolox g-1 DW for A. subulatum and A. xanthioides, respectively. In terms of anti-lipid peroxidation, relatively higher values were obtained for the fruit extract of A. subulatum (6.08±0.35) and the seed extract of A. xanthioides (6.11±0.55). Ethanolic seed extracts of A. subulatum had the highest efficiency against four Gram-negative bacterial species which causes serious human diseases, namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium. In addition, P. aeruginosa was also inhibited by the fruit extract of both A. subulatum and A. xanthioides. For the seed extract of A. xanthioides, large inhibition zones were formed against P. vulgaris and the fungus Candida albicans. Finally, we have in silico explored the mode of action of these plants by performing detailed molecular modeling studies and showed that the antimicrobial activities of these plants could be attributed to the high binding affinity of their bioactive compounds to bind to the active sites of the sterol 14-alpha demethylase and the transcriptional regulator MvfR.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate the two species extracts possess high biological activities and therapeutical values, which increases their potential value in a number of therapeutic applications.

Recent Updates on Phytoconstituent Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors: An Approach towards the Treatment of Type Two Diabetes

Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder marked by unusually high plasma glucose levels, which can lead to serious consequences such as retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. One of the most efficient ways to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG) in diabetes mellitus, especially insulin-independent diabetes mellitus, is to lower the amount of glucose that is absorbed by inhibiting carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes in the digestive system, such as α-glucosidase and α-amylase. α-Glucosidase is a crucial enzyme that catalyzes the final stage of carbohydrate digestion. As a result, α-glucosidase inhibitors can slow D-glucose release from complex carbohydrates and delay glucose absorption, resulting in lower postprandial plasma glucose levels and control of PPHG. Many attempts have been made in recent years to uncover efficient α-glucosidase inhibitors from natural sources to build a physiologic functional diet or lead compound for diabetes treatment. Many phytoconstituent α-glucosidase inhibitors have been identified from plants, including alkaloids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, glycosides and others. The current review focuses on the most recent updates on different traditional/medicinal plant extracts and isolated compounds' biological activity that can help in the development of potent therapeutic medications with greater efficacy and safety for the treatment of type 2 diabetes or to avoid PPHG. For this purpose, we provide a summary of the latest scientific literature findings on plant extracts as well as plant-derived bioactive compounds as potential α-glucosidase inhibitors with hypoglycemic effects. Moreover, the review elucidates structural insights of the key drug target, α-glucosidase enzymes, and its interaction with different inhibitors.