Gıda Takviyesine Giden Yolda Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino Bitkisi Üzerinde Ön Çalışmalar: Antidiyabetik Aktivite ve Fitokimyasal Analizler

Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino is a plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family called jiaogulan. The herb of the plant is used for the treatment of diabetes for many years. In the literature, the antidiabetic effect of G. pentaphyllum was determined by in vivo and clinical studies. On the other hand, it was determined that in vitro activity studies aimed at elucidating the mechanism of action of the plant are limited. Although there are commercial preparations containing the plant in America, Europe, China and Asian countries, it was determined that there is no product in Turkiye. Based on these deficiencies, the aim of this study was to determine the antidiabetic activity of G. pentaphyllum, to elucidate its mechanism of action and to perform preliminary phytochemical analyses to prepare standardized extracts in the future. As a result of the studies, it was determined that both methanol and aqueous extracts of the plant showed antidiabetic activity by inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes under in vitro conditions. The methanol extract was much richer than the aqueous extract in terms of phenolic and flavonoid content. Our research provides preliminary data for the preparation of standardized extracts and food supplements from G. pentaphyllum and is a pioneering work for further studies.