Evaluation of α-Amylase Inhibitory Potentials of Sida acuta, Tithonia diversifolia and Chromolaena odorata Leaf Extracts

Aim: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Sida acuta, Tithonia diversifolia and Chromolaena odorata leaf extracts on the activity of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme (α-amylase) and to provide scientific validation of their folk use in diabetes treatment.

Study Design: The α-amylase inhibition assay was carried out as a measure of the anti-diabetic potentials of Sida acuta, Tithonia diversifolia and Chromolaena odorata.

Place and Duration: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria (January – November, 2016).

Methodology: Cold water, hot water and ethanolic extracts of Sida acuta, Tithonia diversifolia and Chromolaena odorata were obtained. Standard method was employed in the α-amylase inhibitory assays (3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) method).

Results: The results revealed that the extracts had a dose dependent prevention of digestion of carbohydrates by inhibiting α-amylase. Ethanolic extracts of T. diversifolia, C. odorata and S. acuta gave the highest inhibitory activities against α-amylase with 41.02% (IC50 0.754 mg/ml), 43.67% (IC50 0.619 mg/ml) and 45.72% (IC50 0.604 mg/ml) maximum inhibition at a concentration of 500 µg/ml respectively.

Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that extracts of these plants possessed great potential as anti-diabetic agents by inhibiting α-amylase. The presence of phytochemicals like flavonoids, saponins, and tannins might have contributed greatly to the inhibitory activities exhibited by these plant extracts.