International Journal of Advanced Research and Development

Authors
Najmussahar Khan, ZH Khan, SM Mular, Nazia D Khan, Syed Sohail

Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and its type II is the major form of diabetes, accounting for 90% of cases worldwide. The management of the blood glucose level is a critical strategy in the control of diabetes complications. There are many and diverse therapeutic strategies in the management of Type II diabetes. The inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes such as α-amylase can be an important strategy to lower postprandial blood glucose levels. Such inhibitors which find application in the clinical practice for management of diabetes are known to be associated with various gastrointestinal side effects. Therefore, it is the need of time to identify and explore the amylase inhibitors from natural sources having fewer side effects. In the present study, aqueous extracts from leaves, of selected vegetables namely Fenugreek, Spinach, Coriander leaves which are used in the Ayurvedic traditional system of medicine to treat diabetes were tested for their inhibitory effect on α-amylase. The results revealed that aqueous extracts of leaves of Fenugreek at a concentration of 9 mg/mL, extracts from the leaves of Coriander and Spinach (9 mg/mL) exhibited significant (more than 60%) reduction in amylase activity. The highest inhibition i.e. 62.85 % was observed at a concentration of 9mg/mL with the aqueous extract of leaves of fenugreek.