Chethan J, Pradeep Kumar P.M and Prakash H.S
Antidiabetic and Antihypertensive activity of 10 ethnobotanically known plants of Asteraceae family was investigated using in vitro glucose diffusion, α-amylase, α-glucosidase and Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition methods. These medicinal plants were able to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, which are responsible for the breakdown of oligosaccharides into monosaccharides. Methanolic extracts of all the plants showed differential inhibitory activity against these enzymes. Artimisia vulgaris, Eclipta alba, Glossocardia bosvallea, Wedelia chinensis and Wedelia trilobata showed inhibition of α-amylase and α- glucosidase enzymes that are responsible for the breakdown of oligosaccharides into monosaccharides. Wedelia trilobata strongly inhibited α-amylase enzyme with IC50 value of 40 μg/ml. A. vulgaris, G. bosvallea, S. uliginosa, W. chinensis and W. trilobata showed 84, 70, 67, 88 and 75% inhibition of α-Glucosidase enzyme respectively at a concentration of 50 μg/ml. Glucose movement from sealed dialysis tube to external solution was inhibited by A. vulgaris and W. trilobata extracts. Methanolic extract of A. cina, A. vulgaris, G. bosvallea and W. trilobata inhibited the rabbit lung Angiotensin I converting enzyme with IC50 of 40, 40, 35 and 30 μg/ml respectively. This is the first report on Angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activity by these plants, suggesting their potential as therapeutic alternative for hypertension.
