article · Marine Drugs
Extracts of the green seaweed Ulva lactuca collected from the Nador lagoon in northern Morocco possess antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. Chemical profiling revealed unsaturated fatty acids including palmitic, eicosenoic, and linoleic acids, alongside prominent phenolic compounds such as sinapic acid, rutin, and quercetin. An aqueous extract produced through maceration yielded high concentrations of polyphenols and flavonoids, demonstrating strong DPPH radical scavenging capacity. In addition, a methanolic extract obtained via the Soxhlet method effectively prevented beta-carotene discoloration and exhibited strong in-vitro inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes, matching the performance of acarbose. Molecular docking confirmed interactions between the main phytochemicals and both human digestive enzymes. The results indicate that bioactive compounds within these seaweed extracts can inhibit carbohydrate-metabolising enzymes effectively.
Natural substances that inhibit carbohydrate-digesting enzymes offer potential avenues for managing blood glucose levels in diabetes. By demonstrating antioxidant capacity alongside in-vitro enzyme inhibition comparable to a standard commercial medication, this research highlights the therapeutic potential of marine algae as sources of bioactive compounds for metabolic health interventions.
This research could eventually inform the development of natural anti-diabetic formulations, functional food ingredients, or nutraceuticals for pharmaceutical and dietary supplement developers. The technology is at an early research stage, having been evaluated only through chemical analysis, computational docking, and in-vitro laboratory assays. Significant further development, including in-vivo biological validation and safety profiling, is necessary before real-world commercialisation.
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In this research, the chemical compositions of various extracts obtained from Ulva lactuca, a type of green seaweed collected from the Nador lagoon in the northern region of Morocco, were compared. Their antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties were also studied. Using GC–MS technology, the fatty acid content of the samples was analyzed, revealing that palmitic acid, eicosenoic acid, and linoleic acid were the most abundant unsaturated fatty acids present in all samples. The HPLC analysis indicated that sinapic acid, naringin, rutin, quercetin, cinnamic acid, salicylic acid, apigenin, flavone, and flavanone were the most prevalent phenolic compounds. The aqueous extract obtained by maceration showed high levels of polyphenols and flavonoids, with values of 379.67 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g and 212.11 ± 0.11 mg QE/g, respectively. This extract also exhibited an impressive ability to scavenge DPPH radicals, as indicated by its IC50 value of 0.095 ± 0.12 mg/mL. Additionally, the methanolic extract obtained using the Soxhlet method demonstrated antioxidant properties by preventing β-carotene discoloration, with an IC50 of 0.087 ± 0.14 mg/mL. Results from in-vitro studies showed that extracts from U. lactuca were able to significantly inhibit the enzymatic activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Among the various extracts, methanolic extract (S) has been identified as the most potent inhibitor, exhibiting a statistically similar effect to that of acarbose. Furthermore, molecular docking models were used to evaluate the interaction between the primary phytochemicals found in these extracts and the human pancreatic α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. These findings suggest that U. lactuca extracts contain bioactive substances that are capable of reducing enzyme activity more effectively than the commercially available drug, acarbose.
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DOI: 10.3390/md22060240
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