Flavonoids and Phenols, the Potential Anti-Diabetic Compounds from Bauhinia strychnifolia Craib. Stem

Bioactive compounds from medicinal plants are good alternative treatments for T2DM. They are also sources of lead molecules that could lead to new drug discoveries. In this study, Bauhinia strychnifolia Craib. stem, a traditional Thai medicinal plant for detoxification, was extracted into five fractions, including crude extract, BsH, BsD, BsE, and BsW, by ethanolic maceration and sequential partition with hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and water, respectively. Among these fractions, BsE contained the highest amounts of phenolics (620.67 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoids (131.35 mg QE/g extract). BsE exhibited the maximum inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase (IC50 1.51 +/- 0.01 mu g/mL) and DPP-IV (IC50 2.62 +/- 0.03 mu g/mL), as well as dominantly promoting glucose uptake on 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Furthermore, the four compounds isolated from the BsE fraction, namely resveratrol, epicatechin, quercetin, and gallic acid, were identified. Quercetin demonstrated the highest inhibitory capacity against alpha-glucosidase (IC50 6.26 +/- 0.36 mu M) and DPP-IV (IC50 8.25 mu M). In addition, quercetin prominently enhanced the glucose uptake stimulation effect on 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Altogether, we concluded that quercetin was probably the principal bioactive compound of the B. strychnifolia stem for anti-diabetic, and the flavonoid-rich fraction may be sufficiently potent to be an alternative treatment for blood sugar control.

Automated summary

This study identified bioactive compounds from a traditional Thai medicinal plant, Bauhinia strychnifolia Craib., that showed anti-diabetic properties. The compound quercetin was found to be the principal bioactive compound with the highest inhibitory capacity against alpha-glucosidase and DPP-IV enzymes. Additionally, the fraction containing flavonoids exhibited potent glucose uptake stimulation effects, suggesting it could be an alternative treatment for blood sugar control.