Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitory Activity of Libas (Spondias pinnata) Leaves and Bark for the Treatment of Hyperglycemia

Melissa June  Paderog,; Klint Jun  Ganancial,; Jan Michael  Loyola,; Mirriam Nica Grace  Nuñez,; Armie Therese  Penuela,; Mary Dianne  Plantinos,; Lira  Rubio,; Jeremie  Salanio,; Joyce  Suplico,; Chryss Ian  Tiquison,; Danielle  Zaragoza,

Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitory Activity of Libas (Spondias pinnata) Leaves and Bark for the Treatment of Hyperglycemia

Discipline: Pharmacology

Abstract:

Diabetes mellitus (DM) poses a significant healthcare burden even here in the Philippines. While oral hypoglycemic drugs are commonly used for DM management, their associated side effects have driven interest in natural alternatives. One promising approach is the plant Libas (Spondias pinnata), a plant native to the Western Visayas region of the country, and showing potential alpha-glucosidase inhibitory properties. In this study, freeze-dried aqueous extracts of the plant were screened for bioactive compounds, toxicity was assessed through a brine shrimp lethality assay, and antihyperglycemic effects of the plant was evaluated using alpha-glucosidase inhibition assay. In this assay, leaves, barks, and combination of leaves and barks extract, acarbose (positive control), and DMSO (negative control) were made to react with alpha-glucosidase enzyme and the inhibitory reaction of the extracts were measured spectrophotometrically. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, terpenoids, and flavonoids in both leaf and bark extracts, with phenolic compounds being unique to the bark extract. At a concentration of 5 mg/mL, the bark extract demonstrated a 99.5 (± 0.04) % inhibition rate of enzyme activity, surpassing the acarbose control, which exhibited a 94 (± 0.29) % inhibition rate. In contrast, the leaf extract exhibited only a 24.91 (± 0.4) % inhibition rate. Toxicity testing revealed that the bark extract is not toxic to the test organism exhibiting below 50 % mortality at 1000 ug/mL concentration. These findings suggest that Libas bark holds significant promise as a safe, natural antihyperglycemic agent, potentially offering an alternative DM treatment for Filipinos. Further research is warranted to develop plant-based therapies for DM, expanding on these promising results.

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