Inhibitory Potential of Different Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Extracts on Human Salivary α-Amylase.

Recently, consumer preferences for bilberries have increased markedly. This fact is probably related to their natural constituents, such as phenolic compounds including anthocyanins and tannins, as well as the vitamins and minerals they contain. Phenolic compounds are known for their numerous beneficial effects on human health. Moreover, bilberry fruits have been shown to inhibit the activity of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes, which can significantly decrease the postprandial increase in blood glucose levels. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of Vaccinium myrtillus L. extracts on key enzyme α-amylase, linked to type 2 diabetes. No data have been published on the inhibitory properties of Vaccinium myrtillus L. fruits growing wild in Bulgaria against carbohydrate enzymes. Bilberry extracts were analyzed for total polyphenols, total anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity and their inhibitory properties against α-amylase. The contents of flavonols, anthocyanins and stilbenes were determined by HPLC analysis. The identified flavonols in the analyzed bilberry extracts were mainly represented by quercetin derivatives as rutinoside. The predominant anthocyanins for both aqueous and organic solvents were delphinidin-3-galactoside and malvidin-3-glucoside. The results revealed that bilberry extracts are effective inhibitors of α-amylase, with IC50 values from 20.8 to 194.8 µg GAE/mL. All the samples proved to have antioxidant activity measured by three different in vitro assays (FRAP, CUPRAC and DPPH). The inhibitory properties of V. myrtillus L. extracts may provide a new direction in the development and research of new pharmaceuticals for the suppression of postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic patients.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Water Extractable Polysaccharides from Leaves of Plantago major L.

BACKGROUND: Plantago major L. leaves have been used for centuries by the traditional medicine in the treatment of infectious disorders of the respiratory, urinary and digestive tracts. Researchers have reported that hot water extracts of Plantago major possess a broad-spectrum of anticancer, antioxidant and antiviral activities, as well as activities which modulate cell-mediated immunity. Their beneficial properties may be due to the significant content of polysaccharides. The polysaccharides that have been isolated from the leaves of Plantago major L. have different structures - pectic substances, galactans, arabinogalactans, glucomannans. AIM: The aim of this paper was to study the correlation between the structure of the water extractable polysaccharides isolated from Plantago major L. leaves and their enzymatic hydrolysis with different carbohydrate hydrolases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hydrolysis reactions were performed with the enzymes hemicellulase and mannanase. Spectrophotometric total reducing sugars assay was used to examine the hydrolysis yield. The monosaccharide and oligosaccharide compositions were determined using HPLC analysis. RESULTS: The highest hydrolysis yield of the water extractable polysaccharides from Plantago major leaves was obtained by treatment with hemicellulase. The hydrolysis yield increased with the augmentation of the ratio of enzyme to polysaccharide. Galactose was the prevalent monosaccharide identified in the composition of the isolated polysaccharides. Oligosaccharides with different degree of polymerization were also detected. CONCLUSION: The enzymatic hydrolysis of water extractable polysaccharides from Plantago major leaves allows us to obtain different types of oligosaccharides with beneficial effects on both human health and industry.

Effect of Extracts of Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) on Amyloglucosidase and α-Glucosidase Activity.

BACKGROUND: Vaccinium myrtillus L. is a species belonging to the genus Vaccinium of the family Ericaceae. Bilberries have drawn attention due to the multiple benefits for the human health, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-neurodegenerative, and cardioprotective effects. Recently, bilberries were shown to inhibit the activity of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes that can help reduce the intensity of the metabolic syndrome and prevent type 2 diabetes. AIM: In this study, we investigated the α-glucosidase and amyloglucosidase inhibitory activities of polyphenol-rich extracts from fruit of Vaccinium myrtillus L. from different regions in Bulgaria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total phenolic content was determined spectrophotometrically using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. With HPLC analysis, phenolic acid composition of extracts was assessed. Enzymatic inhibitory activities were determined according to the methodology by Borooah et al. (1961), and Dewi et al. (2007). Amyloglucosidase assay and α-glucosidase assay were used to measure the inhibition potential of bilberries' extracts. RESULTS: Phenolic compound content ranged from 1299.60 mg to 510.88 mg GAE/100 g for organic extracts and from 453.63 mg to 290.83 mg GAE/100 g for aqueous extracts. Based on qualitative HPLC analyses, gallic acid and chlorogenic acid were found to be among the major phenolic acids present in bilberries. Methanol and aqueous extracts there were found to be effective inhibitors of α-glucosidase with an IC50 value of 20 µg GAE/ml and 55 µg GAE/ml, respectively. CONCLUSION: The inhibitory activity of bilberries' extracts towards α-glucosidase offers the patients with type 2 diabetes the opportunity to manage their own glycaemic levels with a diet.