α-Glucosidase inhibition by green, white and oolong teas: in vitro activity and computational studies

Abstract

Natural α-glucosidase inhibitors from plant-based foods such as catechins offer an attractive strategy for their potential anti-diabetic effects. In this study, infusions of three different tea types (green, white, and oolong) were investigated for their total phenolic (TPC) and catechins (EGCG, ECG, EGC, and EC) content, and for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. We observed that the level of TPC in white tea was significantly higher compared to oolong and green tea, which suggests higher content of EGCG and ECG catechins in fresh young leaves. Our findings showed that the higher content of such catechins in the infusion of white tea well correlated with a strong inhibition of α-glucosidase, and such inhibition was demonstrated to be more effective than the FDA-approved drug acarbose. Then, we computationally explored the molecular requirements for enzyme inhibition, especially for the most active catechins EGCG and ECG, as well as their disposition/stability within the active site.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• α-glucosidase inhibition
• tea
• polyphenols
• catechins
• molecular docking

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Erboristeria Ghinato (Sassari, Italy) for providing tea leaves.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

PSD thanks the Fondazione di Sardegna for the grant FdS 2022–2023, D.R. 16/2022.