Phytochemical screening and in vitro evaluation of alpha amylase, alpha glucosidase and beta galactosidase inhibition by aqueous and organic Atractylis gummifera L. extracts

Diabetes is a chronic condition which is increasingly progressing throughout the world. To treat it, several methods are used, among which is medicinal plants that still have an unknown mechanism of action. The objective of this work is to evaluate the in vitro hypoglycemic effect of the extracts of the underground part of Atractylis gummifera, a member of Asteraceae used in traditional Moroccan medicine. A phytochemical study of the aqueous extracts (decocted, infused and macerated) and organic extracts (methanol, methanol macerate, chloroformic, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether), and a phytochemical screening of the different secondary metabolites was done. The antidiabetic power of the extracts of A. gummifera by testing the inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and beta-galactosidase, which are enzymes responsible for the digestion of polysaccharides was determined. The extracts of A. gummifera are very rich in flavonoids and tannins, and are inhibitory to alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, mainly the macerate of methanol with IC50 values of 0.557 +/- 0.013 and 0.743 +/- 0.017 mg / mL respectively. Higher beta-galactosidase inhibitory potential than quercetin was observed for aqueous macerates and methanol with IC50 values of 2.23 +/- 0.012 and 2.443 +/- 0.071 mg / mL respectively. The extracts of A. gummifera possess a significant inhibitory activity of the alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase and beta-galactosidase enzymes, in particular the macerate of methanol followed by the aqueous macerate, among the eight extracts tested.