Inhibitory Potential of Tetrapleura tetraptera Fruit Extract on Alpha Amylase and Alpha Glucosidase Activities in Rats

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder posing a serious global health concern, necessitating the need for investigation for alternative management and treatment strategies including phytomedicine. Tetrapleura tetraptera (Taub) (family Fabaceae, a medicinal plant used locally in the management of diabetes was investigated for its inhibitory potential on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes of rats. Tetrapleura tetraptera fruit extract (300 -900 mg/kg) was investigated in vivo for inhibitory effect on alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase enzymes using starch, sucrose and maltose as substrates, with Acarbose as standard drug. Blood glucose levels (BGL) of rats, post administration of the substrate and extract concurrently, were monitored over 3 hours as a parameter to measure the inhibitory potentials of the extract. The fruit extract significantly (p<0.05) caused dose-dependent lowering of blood glucose levels of treated rats with the various substrates used. The findings suggest that the fruit extract of Tetrapleura tetraptera has the potentials to cause inhibition of alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase in rats.