IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF α-GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF POLYALTHIA LONGIFOLIA SEED EXTRACT

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited and/or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. One of the effective therapeutic strategies for managing postprandial hyperglycemia is the inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes such as α-glucosidase. Polyalthia longifolia is belongs to the Annonaceae family, commonly known as the Ashoka tree, is traditionally used in Indian medicine for its diverse pharmacological activities including antidiabetic potential. The present study was aimed to evaluate in vitro α glucosidase inhibitory activity of ethanolic extract of Polyalthia longifolia seeds. The seeds of Polyalthia longifolia were shade dried, powdered, and extracted with ethanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was determined spectrophotometrically using p-nitro-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) as a substrate. Acarbose was used as the standard inhibitor. The % inhibition and IC50 values were calculated to assess the potency of the extract. The ethanolic seed extract of Polyalthia longifolia showed significant α glucosidase inhibitory activity in a dose dependent manner. The extract demonstrated an IC50 value of 109.16±2.29 μg/ml, which was comparable to that of acarbose IC50 69.05±3.48 μg/ml. The findings suggest that polyalthia longifolia seed ethanolic extract possesses potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, indicating its potential as a natural source for the development of antidiabetic agents.