title: Tropical plant extracts as potential antihyperglycemic agents.
abstract: Preliminary investigations on 14 plant extracts (obtained by ethanolic and aqueous extraction) identified those having high antioxidant and a significant total phenolic content. Antihyperglycemic, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition activities were also observed. A correlation between the antihyperglycemic activity, total phenolic content and antioxidant (DPPH scavenging) activity was established. To further substantiate these findings, the possibility of tannins binding non-specifically to enzymes and thus contributing to the antihyperglycemic activity was also investigated. Our study clearly indicated that the antihyperglycemic activity observed in the plant extracts was indeed not due to non-specific tannin absorption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. vaanigal@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Thamilvaani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manaharan
authors.forename: Uma Devi
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Palanisamy
authors.forename: Cheng Hwee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ming
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008296:Malaysia; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D013634:Tannins / Q000378:metabolism; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013634:Tannins; D000516:alpha-Amylases; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases