ABSTRACT
The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) derive bioactive compound viz.trans-cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, and cinnamic acid on inhibition of Bacillus licheniformis ?-amylase (BLA) and pancreatic porcine ?-amylase (PPA) activity. The inhibition extent of each of the compounds was determined along with their inhibition kinetics and compared with standard inhibitor-acarbose (Synthetic anti-diabetic agent). The IC50 values for trans-cinnamaldehyde with respect to BLA and PPAwere observed to 5.38 ?g mL?1 and 3.76 ?g mL?1, respectively. The IC50 value of acarbose was estimated to be 6.2 ?g mL?1 for both the amylases. The maximum percent enzyme inhibition of 75.8 (at 10.75 µg mL?1) and 71.6 (5.38 µg mL?1) were observed in case of BLA and PPA, respectively, using trans-cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamyl alcohol and cinnamic acid on the other hand were observed to show no specific inhibitory effect on the both the ?-amylases even at high concentrations. Catalytic efficiency (Vmax/Km) of both the amylases was observed to decrease significantly in presence of trans-cinnamaldehyde compared to acarbose. Overall, trans-cinnamaldehyde was observed as a better inhibitor of ?-amylase compared to known synthetic inhibitor-acarbose. Thus, trans-cinnamaldehyde could effectively be used for controlling hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus.