Bioactive, antioxidant, and inhibitory potential against amylase and glucosidase of medicinal plants used in the treatment of infants

Medicinal plants have been a significant part of health care since time immemorial. They are used in folk medicine to treat and manage infant health. In this study, bioactive, antioxidant, and inhibitory potential against amylase and glucosidase of nine (Carica papaya L, Mangifera indica L, Ocimum gratissimum, Vernonia amygdalina Schreb, Azadirachta indica A.juss, Cymbopogon citrate (DC.) Stapf, Psidium guajava L, Jatropha curcas L, and Momordica charantia L) medicinal plants were sought. The bioactive potential was evaluated using total phenolics and total flavonoid assays. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, and 2-azobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate radical scavenging ability (ABTS) were used to determine antioxidant capacity. In contrast, the inhibitory potential was evaluated against amylase (AMY) and glucosidase (GLU) activities. All assays were conducted using standard procedures. The results showed that Azadirachta indica A.juss has the highest total phenolic contents (82.82 ± 1.57 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid (71.95 ± 1.19 mg QUE/100 g), while Vernonia amygdaline Schreb (54.08 ± 1.69 mg AAE/100 g) and Mangifera indica L (68.83 ± 0.09 mg Fe2+E/100 g) were highest for TAC and FRAP, respectively. All extracts exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition for DPPH, ABTS, AMY, and GLU. Inhibition coefficient (IC50) was calculated; Mangifera indica L exhibited the lowest IC50 for DPPH (28.50 ± 0.57 µg/mL) and ABTS (34.50 ± 0.88 µg/mL), while Jatropha curcas L exhibited the lowest IC50 for AMY (140.40 ± 1.08 µg/mL) and GLU (85.50 ± 1.17 µg/mL) inhibitions. The results show that medicinal plants possess bioactive, antioxidant, and inhibitory potentials, justifying their use in infants.