South African Journal of Botany

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic dysfunction characterized by hyperglycemia. T2DM is a growing global epidemic with diffuse complications, including a high mortality rate. High blood sugar can be lowered by impeding the activities of pancreatic a-amylase and intestinal a-glucosidase enzymes. Although there are a number of orthodox medications used in the management of hyperglycemia, medicinal

plants remain a veritable option in many cultures of the world owing to their overall efficacy and affordabil- ity. This study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic potential of Syzygium cordatum leaf extract frac- tions in the retardation of pancreatic a-amylase and intestinal a-glucosidase enzymes in vitro. The bioactive

components of the active fractions were identified using the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC- MS) and their potential hypoglycemic properties were assessed using the molecular in silico modelling

approach. The in vitro a-amylase and a-glucosidase inhibitory activities of S. cordatum revealed that the organic solvent fractions retarded the digestive enzymes considerably although the standard drug (acarbose)

had the least half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value. Analytical and computational analysis iden- tified the potential of cubenol, to interact with important residues of a-glucosidase and a-amylase emphasiz- ing its hypoglycemic potential. The result of this study revealed that S. cordatum is a rich source of

pharmacologically important bioactive compounds with a remarkable capacity to retard a-amylase and a-glucosidase enzymes. Cubenol was identified as an efficient and safe hypoglycemic agent of S. cordatum.