Antioxidant and anti-diabetic effects in vitro of extract from the above-ground parts of Acanthus ilicifolius

The in vitro antioxidant and anti-diabetic activity of the extract from the above-ground parts of Acanthus ilicifolius was evaluated to assess the potential of this plant as a probable natural medicinal source for disease treatment. The aqueous extract from the above-ground parts of this plant demonstrated the existence of alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, steroids, triterenes, tannins, saponins, and glycosides, providing promising results in all the tests performed. The antioxidant activity of A. ilicifolius’s above-ground parts extract was graded by five methods, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reducing power (RP), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS•+), and the results showed that the extract has strong antioxidant effects. The inhibitory activity of two enzymes, α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes was assessed and compared with the standard acarbose. Extract from A. ilicifolius’s above-ground parts could inhibit the enzyme α-amylase with an EC50 value of 136.35 2.11 µg/mL and α-glucosidase with an EC50 value of 49.81 0.37 µg/mL. The results confirmed that A. ilicifolius can be an important natural medicinal source with antioxidant, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory properties.