Assessment of Anti-Inflammatory and Antidiabetic Properties of Selected Ethnomedicinal Herbs used in The Management of Diabetes Mellitus
TL;DR
V. amygdalina and M. charantia possess dual-action antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties, providing a strong pharmacological validation for their traditional formulation in managing diabetes mellitus and preventing associated inflammatory complications.
Abstract
This study comparatively evaluated the quantitative phytochemical profiles, in vitro antidiabetic activities (α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition), and anti-inflammatory potential (bovine serum albumin denaturation inhibition) of aqueous extracts of four key medicinal plants: Vernonia amygdalina, Andrographis paniculata, Ocimum gratissimum, and Momordica charantia. Standard spectrophotometric and titrimetric assays were employed to quantify tannins, phytates, oxalates, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Inhibitory activity against carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) was benchmarked against Acarbose, while anti-inflammatory capacity was benchmarked against Diclofenac sodium using the protein denaturation assay across concentrations of 1 to 5 mg/mL. Phytochemical screening demonstrated high flavonoid levels in O. gratissimum (20.20%) and A. paniculata (15.02%), while high alkaloid levels were present in M. charantia (8.53%) and A. paniculata (7.27%). Anti-nutritional oxalate levels remained safely minimal across all species (0.205–0.292 mg/100g). In carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzyme assay, V. amygdalina demonstrated superior α-amylase inhibition (IC50 = 1.21 mg/mL, surpassing Acarbose IC50 = 1.28 mg/mL) and potent α-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 = 0.35 mg/mL vs Acarbose IC50 = 0.30 mg/mL). O. gratissimum also exhibited notable α-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 = 2.18 mg/mL Furthermore, in the anti-inflammatory assay, M. charantia (IC50 = 0.43 mg/mL) and V. amygdalina (IC50 = 0.45 mg/mL) exhibited remarkable, superior protection against thermal protein denaturation compared to the standard anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac sodium (IC50 = 0.88 mg/mL). V. amygdalina and M. charantia possess dual-action antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties, providing a strong pharmacological validation for their traditional formulation in managing diabetes mellitus and preventing associated inflammatory complications.