Antidiabetic potential of α-amylase inhibitor from the seeds of Macrotyloma uniflorum in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic mice

Abstract

Context: Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc. (Leguminosae) seeds, known as the poor man’s pulse crop in India, have been used as a food and also used in the traditional method for treatment of kidney stones, diabetes, obesity, etc.

Objective: To investigate the antidiabetic effect of α-amylase inhibitor isolated from the seeds of Macrotyloma uniflorum seeds in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic mice.

Materials and method: α-Amylase inhibitor was purified usng a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) column. Kinetic studies were done using mouse pancreatic and human salivary α-amylase. Its antidiabetic effect was studied in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic mice. Biochemical parameters such as serum total cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were determined. Histopathological investigation was performed on the pancreas, kidney, and liver tissue samples.

Results: Macrotyloma uniflorum α-amylase inhibitor (MUAI) inhibited both the mouse pancreatic and human salivary α-amylase in a non-competitive manner with K_i values of 11 and 8.8 µM and IC₅₀ value of 30 and 12.5 µg/mL, respectively. It decreased the serum glucose level in the treated diabetic mice. Histological findings suggested minimum pathological changes in the treated diabetic mice as compared to the diabetic control.

Discussion and conclusion: The results suggest that MUAI has an antihyperglycemic activity and therefore can be used in the dietary treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Keywords::

• α-Amylase inhibitor
• antihyperglycemic effect
• blood glucose level
• lipid profile
• Macrotyloma uniflorum

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Sachin Vetale, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, for helping in carrying out the animal studies and Sujit Joshi, M.D. Pathologist, Specialty Surgical and Hematopathology Centre, Pune, for carrying out the histology of the vital organs.

Declaration of interest

The authors wish to thank University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India, for the award of research grant. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest associated with this paper. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.