article · Heliyon
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disorder characterised by insulin deficiency, and medicinal plants offer promising avenues for disease management. An evaluation of loquat leaves, or Eriobotrya japonica, examined the phytochemical content, antioxidant properties, and alpha-amylase enzyme inhibition across different solvent extracts. Methanol produced the highest extraction yield at twenty percent and exhibited strong antioxidant activity, achieving eighty-seven percent free radical scavenging and an IC50 lower than the ascorbic acid control. Conversely, hexane produced the lowest extraction yield of just over two percent but demonstrated the greatest alpha-amylase inhibition, reaching twenty-four percent at one microgram per millilitre. Because standard pharmaceutical therapies often cause major side effects by maximally blocking alpha-amylase, the mild inhibitory effect observed in the hexane extract provides a preferable alternative. The findings support the potential application of loquat leaf extracts as anti-diabetic agents at higher concentrations.
Standard pharmaceutical therapies that maximally inhibit starch-digesting enzymes such as alpha-amylase frequently trigger unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects in diabetes patients. Discovering natural extracts that offer mild enzyme suppression alongside protective antioxidant activity is a key step towards gentler therapeutic options. This research identifies loquat leaves as a candidate source for developing alternative botanical interventions for managing blood sugar levels.
This work represents early-stage laboratory research that could interest botanical extract suppliers and nutraceutical manufacturers seeking natural ingredients for blood sugar management. Practical commercialisation remains distant, as the extract requires testing at higher concentrations, safety evaluation, and in vivo validation before any commercial formulation can be pursued. The abstract does not indicate clinical testing or a finished product pathway.
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Diabetes Mellitus is an endocrine disorder which causes insulin deficiency. Medicinal plants are documented to be efficacious in the management of the disease. The current research set to determine the phytochemicals present, anti-oxidant activity and investigate the potency of <i>Eriobotrya japonica</i> against α-amylase inhibition. The leaves of the plant were extracted sequentially. The different extracts were evaluated for the presence of phytochemicals and their potential anti-oxidant and α-amylase inhibition activity. Methanol with the highest polarity, gave the highest yield of 20% and hexane with the lowest polarity have the lowest yield of 2.09%. This trend resembled that observed for the total flavanoid and total phenolic content analysis which gave values of 0.3822 mg QAE/mg and 3.810 mg GAE/mg respectively for methanolic and hexane extracts. The extracts of methanol recorded higher DPPH free radical scavenging activity of 87% and gave the lowest IC<sub>50</sub> of 0.5336 which was below that of ascorbic acid used as a control. Hexane extract had a higher α-amylase inhibitory activity of 24% at 1 μg/ml as compared to other extracts. Generally hexane extracts of <i>Eriobotrya japonica</i> exhibits mild inhibitory activity against α-amylase enzyme which is recommended than the conventional therapy which maximally inhibits the enzyme causing major side effects. The results obtained herein support the use of the plant as an anti-diabetic agent at higher concentrations.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04736
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