Inhibitory Activities of Extracts from Chinese Medicinal Herbs on α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase,and Pancreatic Lipase

Background Metabolic syndrome is an assortment of conditions that often happens together and upsurge your risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. One strategy for the prophylaxis and treatment of diabetes and obesity is to inhibit the enzymes activities, which include α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase. Objectives To screen the effect of 16 Chinese medicinal herbs on inhibition of α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase. Materials and Methods The water extraction of 16 traditional Chinese herbal medicines was used to estimate activity in vitro from different families against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pancreatic lipase by using spectrophotometry with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG), starch derivatives, and 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MUO), respectively, as a substrate. Results The results showed that the water extraction yield of the 16 rhizomes ranged from 0.2% to 4.0%. Among the tested extracts, the extract from Gastrodia elata exhibited the strongest effect on α-amylase (The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50)) = 4.10 mg/mL). The extracts from Pinellia ternate and Arisaema heterophyllum exhibited noteworthy effects on α-glucosidase (IC50 = 29.21 and 41.13 µg/mL, respectively), and Corydalis turtschaninovii possessed the highest effect on pancreatic lipase (IC50 = 4.11 µg/mL) and a stronger effect than orlistat (IC50 = 4.52 µg/mL). Conclusion This study provides a basis for screenings and in-depth studies of anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drugs. Further isolation, identification, and characterization of active compounds should be carried out in the future.