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Phenolic content, acute toxicity of Ajuga iva extracts and assessment of their in vitro antioxidant and carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibitory effects

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The management of blood glucose level is the hallmark in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and this may be achieved through the inhibition of the digestive enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. The aim of this work is the investigation of phenolic compounds content, antioxidant activity and for the first time, the in vitro anti-hyperglycemic potential of aerial part of Ajuga iva Schreber extracts through the inhibition of digestive enzymes (α amylase and α-glucosidase), responsible of the digestion of poly and oligosaccharides. Test for total phenolic content showed that the methanol extract has the highest polyphenolic and flavonoid concentrations with (65.3 mg GAEs/g extract and 132.6 mg REs/g extract). The methanol extract has also exhibited the higher antioxidant activity compared to the aqueous extract in different tests with (IC50=0.187±0.016 mg/mL; 62.19±0.45 mg TE/g extract; 89.12±0.23 mg AAE/g extract) in DPPH, ABTS and FRAP tests, respectively. Ajuga iva extracts exhibited a remarkable inhibitory activity against key digestive enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes, with a more potent inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase and a considerable inhibition against α-amylase. The results indicated also that the tested extracts are non-toxic with an LD50 higher than 2g/kg in female Swiss mice. These results suggested that the phenolic compounds in A. iva extracts maybe behind the antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. However, further investigations regarding the bioactive compounds and their mechanisms of action are required for developing new natural drugs against diabetes-related hyperglycemia. Key-words: Ajuga iva; phenolic compounds; antidiabetic effect; digestive enzymes; antioxidant activity.
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Phenolic content, acute toxicity of Ajuga iva extracts and assessment of
their antioxidant and carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibitory effects
F. Saad
a,
, H.N. Mrabti
a
,K.Sayah
a
, A. Bouyahya
b
,N.Salhi
c
,Y.Cherrah
c
,FaouziElAbbes
a
a
Biopharmaceutical and Toxicological Analysis Research Team, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
b
Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Departmentof Biology, Facultyof Sciences, and GenomicCenter of Human Pathologies, Faculty of Medicineand Pharmacy, MohammedV University in
Rabat, Morocco
c
Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics Research Team, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco
abstractarticle info
Article history:
Received 14 November 2018
Received in revised form 28 July 2019
Accepted 2 August 2019
Available online xxxx
Edited by L Verschaeve
The management of blood glucose level is the hallmark in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and this may be
achieved through the inhibition of the digestive enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. The aim of
this work is the investigation of phenolic compounds content, antioxidant activity and for the rst time, the
in vitro anti-hyperglycemic potential of aerial part of Ajuga iva Schreber extracts through the inhibition of diges-
tive enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), responsible of the digestion of poly and oligosaccharides. Test for
total phenolic content showed that the methanol extract has the highest polyphenolic and avonoid concentra-
tions with (65.3 mg GAEs/g extract and 132.6 mg REs/g extract). The methanol extract has also exhibited the
higher antioxidant activity compared to the aqueous extract in different tests with (IC
50
=0.187 ±0.016 mg/mL;
62.19±0.45 mg TE/g extract; 89.12±0.23 mg AAE/g extract) in DPPH, ABTS and FRAP tests, respectively. Ajuga
iva extracts exhibited a remarkable inhibitory activity against key digestive enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes,
with a more potent inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase and a considerable inhibition against α-amylase.
The results indicated also that the tested extracts are non-toxic with an LD
50
higher than 2 g/kg in female
Swiss mice.These results suggested that the phenolic compounds in A. iva extracts maybe behindthe antioxidant
and antidiabetic activities. However, further investigations regarding the bioactive compounds and their mech-
anisms of action are required for developing new natural drugs against diabetes-related hyperglycemia.
© 2019 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Ajuga iva
Phenolic compounds
Antidiabetic effect
Digestive enzymes
Antioxidant activity
1. Introduction
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder character-
ized by hyperglycemia, due to an absolute or relative lack of resistance
to insulin (Association, 2014). According to statistics published by the
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2017, approximately 425 mil-
lion people suffered from diabetes mellitus in the world and it is esti-
mated to be 629 million by 2045 (International Diabetes Federation,
2017). Furthermore, prolonged hyperglycemia can induce the produc-
tion of excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tissues
and cells. An oxidative stress can lead to the development of various
health problems in kidney, heart, eye, liver, and central nervoussystem,
and this progress can cause serious organ and physiologic system dam-
ages (Tangvarasittichai, 2015). One therapeutic approach to decrease
postprandial hyperglycemia is to retard and reduce the absorption of
ingested carbohydrates. The inhibition of digestive enzyme such as
α-amylase and α-glucosidase limits the process of carbohydrate
hydrolysis and absorption, and favors the control of the postprandial
hyperglycemia (Marmouzi et al., 2017; Mrabti et al., 2018; Sayah
et al., 2017). Commercially synthetic inhibitors (Acarbose, Miglitol,
Voglibose and Orlistat) are an effective way to control T2D (Tahrani
et al., 2016), but they can cause adverse health effects suchas atulence,
diarrhea, hepatotoxicity, and abdominal pain to diabetic patients
(Chaudhury et al., 2017). In the context of the development of pharma-
ceutical agents to treat diabetes, the communitys attention has been di-
rected toward the search for novel effective agent extracted from
medicinal plants (Grover et al., 2002), which posses several bioactive
compounds belonging to the secondary metabolites such as polyphe-
nols, and alkaloids. Polyphenols, in particularly, avonoids have espe-
cially antioxidant, anti-inammatory, and antidiabetic effects
(Boussouf et al., 2017; Thibane et al., 2019). Indeed, the use of these
compounds as a combination therapy can play an important role for re-
ducing the dangerousness of pharmaceutical drugs, consequently, re-
duce their adverse effects. Antihyperglycemic plants have been used
in Moroccan folk medicine since ancient times; with more than 92 me-
dicinal plants used in tradition as complementary to treat diabetes
(Eddouks et al., 2002), among them Ajuga iva Schreber. This plant is a
part of the Lamiaceae family, popularly known as Chendgoura,has
been well-used as a treatment of various diseases including diabetes
South African Journal of Botany 125 (2019) 381385
Corresponding author at: Laboratoire de Pharmacologie et Toxicologie, Faculté de
Médecine et de Pharmacie, Mohammed V University in Rabat, BP 6203, Rabat Instituts,
Rabat, Morocco.
E-mail address: saadfettach.mar@gmail.com (F. Saad).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.08.010
0254-6299 2019 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
South African Journal of Botany
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sajb
mellitus. In an ethnopharmacology survey carried out in Morocco
(Tahraoui et al., 2007), A. iva has been recognized for being among the
high-frequency plants uses. A large number of pharmacological studies
have been reported that Ajuga iva extract has an anti-inammatory ac-
tivity (Taleb-Senouci et al., 2012) and protect against heart disease (El-
Hilaly et al., 2004). Furthermore, it is known that Ajuga iva has been
used as anthelmintic (Bellakhdar et al., 1991), antimicrobial, and anti-
fungal agents (Makni et al., 2013a). Some species from genus Ajuga
are used for the treatment of analgesia and fever (Pal and Pawar,
2011). However, to our best knowledge there are no reports in the liter-
ature concerning the enzymes inhibitory properties of this plant, which
make this study the rst about inhibition of carbohydrate digestive en-
zymes using in vitro models by the selected specie. So, we decided to
build this work concerningthe evaluation of the in vitro inhibitory effect
of A. iva aqueous and methanol extracts against two enzymes linked to
T2DM (α-glucosidase and α-amylase) as well as their antioxidant activ-
ity by different tests and then evaluation of their acute toxicity in Swiss
mice.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Standards and reagents
ρ-Nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG), α-glucosidase from
Saccharomyces cerevisiae,α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis, acar-
bose, FolinCiocalteu reagent, rutin, catechin, DPPH, ABTS, 6-hydroxy-
2,5,7,8- tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox), butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ascorbic acid were purchased from
SigmaAldrich (France). All other reagents and standards were of ana-
lytical reagent (AR) grade.
2.2. Plant material
The aerial parts of the plant Ajuga iva were collected during the
oweringperiod (March 2017) in Morocco, Taza, Oued Amlil, (a moun-
tainous area located between the Rif chain to the north and the Middle
Atlas to the south, latitude: 331 m). The plant material was identied
and authenticated (Voucher Specimen: RAB 110960) by Pr. Mohammed
Sghir TALEB of the Botany Department of the ScienticInstituteof
Rabat, University of Mohammed V Rabat, Morocco. Plant material was
dried in the shade at room temperature, powdered to achieve a mean
particle size, and kept in the dark until future use.
2.3. Preparation of extracts
2.3.1. Preparation of aqueous extract
The powder was extracted by infusion as described in Moroccan folk
medicine. Briey, 50 g of plants powders were infused in 500 mL of dis-
tilled water for a period of 30 min, then ltered and evaporated under
vacuum at 50 °C using a rotary evaporator. The recovered extract was
frozen and lyophilized to remove all traces of water.
2.3.2. Preparation of methanol extract
The powder (50 g) was extracted by maceration using methanol 90%
(500 mL) at room temperature with agitation for 24 hours. After ltra-
tion, the extracting solvent was removed using rotary evaporator at 41 °C.
2.4. Determination of phenolic contents
2.4.1. Total phenolic content
TPCs were determined by using the FolinCiocalteu reagent method
as described by Spanos (Spanos and Wrolstad, 1990) with some modi-
cations. A standard curve was evaluated using gallic acid concentra-
tions ranging from 0.25 to 50 μg/mL. Firstly, 2.5 mL of 10% (v/v)of
FolinCiocalteu reagent were mixed with 0.5 mL of sample solution.
The reaction was incubated at 45 °C for 30 min after the addition of
4 mL of 7.5% (w/v)Na
2
CO
3
. The absorbance against blank was deter-
mined at 765 nm. TPCs were expressed as mg gallic acid equivalents
per gram of dry weight of extract (mg GAE/g extract).
2.4.2. Total avonoid content
TFCs were assessed according to thealuminum chloride colorimetric
method as described by Dewanto et al. (2002).Briey, 1 mL of sample
were added to 0.3 mL of NaNO
3
(5%), then 0.3 mL of 1% (w/v)AlCl
3
was added 5 min later. After 6 min, 2 mL of 1 M NaOH were added;
this solution was mixed well and allowed to stand for 30 min at room
temperature. The absorbance was measured at 510 nm. TFCs were
expressed as mg Rutin equivalent per gram of dry weight of extract
(mg RE/g extract).
2.4.3. Total tannin content
The method described by Julkunen-Tiitto (1985) is used to deter-
mine the condensed tannins content. Briey, an aliquot (50 μL) of
each extract or standard solution was mixed with 1.5 mL of 4% vanillin
(prepared with MeOH), then 750 μL HCl (12 M) was added. The well-
mixed solution was incubated at ambient temperature in the dark for
20 min. The absorbance was read after at 500 nm. Catechin (50500
μg/mL) was used to make the standard curve and the results were
expressed as mg Catechin equivalents per gram of extract dry weight
(mg CE/g extract).
2.5. Evaluation of the antioxidant activity
2.5.1. DPPH radical scavenging assay
The method using the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhyd-
razyl (DPPH) is based upon the reduction of DPPH free radical (Huang
et al., 2011). The extracts were solubilized in a methanol solution of
DPPH (0.02 mM). The reaction mixture was thoroughly vortexed and
incubated in the dark at room temperature for 30 min. Reduction in
the absorbance of the mixture was measured at 517 nm, using BHT as
a positive control. Scavenging of DPPH radicals was calculated using
the following equation:
DPPH (%) = [(Abs
DPPH
Abs
Sample
)/Abs
DPPH
]100
Where Abs
DPPH
is the absorbance of D PPH radical and Abs
sample
is the
absorbance the DPPH radical in the presence of extract/control. Scav-
enging activity in this assay was expressed as IC
50
, which represents
the concentration of the extract required to inhibit 50% of the free rad-
ical scavenging activity.
2.5.2. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay
The antioxidant capacity assay was carried out using ABTS radical
cation decolorization assay as described by Tuberoso et al. (2013).
ABTS
+
radical were generatedby oxidation of ABTS with potassium per-
sulfate. The blue-green ABTS was produced through the reaction be-
tween 2 mM ABTS and 70 mM potassium persulfate in water. The
mixture was left to stand at room temperature in the dark for 1216 h
before use. The ABTS
+
solution as diluted with methanol to an absor-
bance of 0.700 ± 0.005 at 734 nm. Then 2 mL of diluted ABTS solution
were mixed with 100 μL of plants extracts and absorbance was mea-
sured after 1 min incubation at room temperature. A standard curve
was obtained by using Trolox standard solution and the antioxidant ac-
tivities of samples were expressed as TEAC values. The results were
represented as Trolox equivalent per gram of extract dry weight
(mg TE/g
extract
).
2.5.3. Ferric reducing power assay (FRAP)
The ferric ion (Fe
3+
) reducing power assay was carried out accord-
ing to the procedure described by Amarowicz et al. (2004), with slight
modications. Briey, 1 mL of the extracts were mixed with 2.5 mL of
0.2 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.6) and 2.5 mL of 1% potassium
382 F. Saad et al. / South African Journal of Botany 125 (2019) 381385
ferricyanide. The mixture was incubated in a boiling water bath at 50 °C
for 20 min. After cooling, 2.5 mL of 10% trichloroacetic acid was added
and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min. Finally, 2.5 mL of the superna-
tant were mixed with 2.5 mL distilled water and 0.5 mL FeCl
3
solution
(0.1%, w/v). The absorbance was measured at 700 nm and the results
were expressed as ascorbic acid equivalent per gram of extract dry
weight (mg AAE/g extract).
2.6. Enzyme inhibitory activities
2.6.1. α-Glucosidase inhibition assay
The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was performed in PBS (0.1 M
KH
2
PO
4
K
2
HPO
4
, pH 6.7), using ρ-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside
(ρNPG) as a substrate according to the method described by Kee et al.
(2013) with some modications. All tested extracts were dissolved in
PBS to a series of different concentrations. Briey, a mixture of 150 μL
of the samples and 100 μL of PBS containing the enzyme α-glucosidase
solution (0.1 U/mL) were incubated at 37 °C for 10 min. Then, 200 μL
ρ-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (1 mM) were added to the mix-
ture to initiate the reaction. After further incubation at 37 °C for
30 min, 1 mL Na
2
CO
3
(0.1 M) were added and the absorbance was mea-
sured at 405 nm. The results were expressed as percentage inhibition
and calculated using the following formula:
Inhibition (%) = [1 (A
sample
A
b sample
)/(A
control
A
bcontrol
)] 100
Where A
control
refers to the absorbance of control (enzyme and
buffer); A
bcontrol
refers to the absorbance of control blank (buffer with-
out enzyme); A
sample
refers to the absorbance of sample (enzyme and
inhibitor); and A
b sample
is the absorbance of sample blank (inhibitor
without enzyme). Acarbose was used as positive control.
2.6.2. α-amylase inhibition assay
The α-amylase inhibitory potential was performed by reactingdiffer-
ent concentrationsof extracts with α-amylase and starchsolution, as de-
scribed by Hashim et al. (2013) with some modications. Samples
solution(250 μL) weremixed with 250 μL of0.02 M PBS (pH 6.9) contain-
ing the α-amylaseenzyme (240 U/mL)and incubatedfor 20 min at 37 °C.
Soluble starch (1%, PBS 0.02, pH 6.9) wasadded to the mixture and fur-
ther incubated at 37 °C for 20 min. The reaction was stopped by adding
250 μL of dinitrosalicylic acid andthe incubation of the solution at 90 °C
in a water bath for 10 min. The cooled reaction mixture was diluted
with 1 mLdeionized waterand the absorbance was measured at 540 nm.
The α-amylase inhibitory activity was expressed as a percentage in-
hibition, and the IC
50
values were determined. Acarbose was used as a
positive control.
2.7. Acute oral toxicity testing
Acute oral toxicity of extracts was tested on Swice females mice ac-
cording to the instructions of the Organization for Economic Testing of
Chemicals no 423 (Botham, 2004). After fasting overnight, six mice
from each group were received a single oral dose of 2000 mg/kg body
weight (BW) of each extract. The animals were observed for gross
behavioral, neurological, autonomic and toxic sings for 5 hours after ex-
tracts/vehicle administration and daily for 2 weeks. Food consumption
and body weight were recorded daily for 14 days. Untreated control
group received distilled water as vehicle was also assayed.
2.8. Statistical analysis
All the experiments were carried out in triplicate. The data were de-
scribed as the mean ± standard error of mean and expressed by one-
way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan's new analysis
to identify signicant differences between means using Multiple
Range Test (p b0.05). All statistical analysis was determined using
GraphPad Prism 6.
3. Results and discussions
Total phenolics (TPC), avonoid (TFC), and condensed tannins (TCC)
contents of the aqueousand methanol extracts of Ajuga iva are summa-
rized in Table 1. As listed, the methanol extract contained a remarkably
high TPC (65.3 mg GAEs/g extract), TFC (132.6 mg REs/g extract), and
TCC (13.23 mg CEs/g extract). On the other hand, the aqueous extract
was found to be rich on polyphenols specially avonoids, with a TPC
of (44.41 mg GAEs/g extract), (128.4 mg REs/g extract) respectively.
The results obtained in phenolic content studies in organic extracts of
A. iva revealed the presence of important charges of polyphenols and
avonoids, with some variability between aqueous and methanol ex-
tract. This difference due certainly to the polarity of each solvent to en-
train phenolic compounds. In comparison with similar works, total
phenolics, and avonoid of A. iva in this study were higher than those
obtained in the same species from other regions with a TPC of 16.5 mg
GAEs/g and TFC of 1.1 mg QEs/g in Makanis study (Makni et al.,
2013b), a TPC of 46 mg GAEs/g extract in the study of Bendif et al.
(2017) and 50 mg GAEs/g extract (Bouyahya et al., 2016) and higher
also than those reported for the ethyl acetate extract of A. chamaepitys
(57.0 mg GAEs/g and 91.7 mg REs/g, respectively) (Jakovljevićet al.,
2015).
The different extracts were investigated for their antioxidant capac-
ity using three complementary tests: DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging ca-
pacity, and FRAP (Table 2). The results of DPPH test showed a dose-
dependent activity that can be evaluated by determination of IC
50
values. Low values of IC
50
indicate an important antioxidant activity.
As shown in Table 2, the extracts showed a considerable antioxidant ac-
tivity especially the methanol extract with (IC
50
=0.187± 0.016 mg/-
mL) and this was higher than the IC
50
obtained by infusion
(IC
50
=0.225 ±0.026 mg/mL). The antioxidant activity of these extracts
stayed lower than those of ascorbic acid (IC
50
=0.007± 0.001 mg/mL)
and BHT (IC
50
=0.029 ±0.006 mg/mL) used as positive controls. Ajuga
iva extracts have developed an important antioxidant activity in the
ABTS test, with a correlation to the antioxidant activity shown in the
DPPH test (Table 2). Ajuga iva methanol extract showed the highest an-
tioxidant ability (62.19 ± 0.45 mg TE/g extract) as compared with the
aqueous extract (49.72 ± 0.24 mg TE/g extract). Moreover, in the
FRAP method, the highest reducing power was interestingly observed
Table 1
Total phenolic, avonoids and condensed tannins contents of different extracts from A. iva. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3).
Aqueous extract Methanol extract
TPC (mg GAE/g extract) TFC(mg RE/g extract) TCC (mg CE/g extract) TPC(mg GAE/g extract) TFC(mg RE/g extract) TCC (mg CE/g extract)
Ajuga iva 44.41 ± 0.22 128.4 ± 2.14 10.76 ± 1.15 65.3 ± 2.11 132.6 ± 0.24 13.23 ± 1.15
TPC: total phenolic content
TFC: total avonoid content
TCC: total condensed tannins
mg RE/g extract: mg of Rutin equivalent per gram of extract
mg GAE/g extract: mg Galic Acid equivalent per gram of extract
mg CE/g extract: mg Catechin equivalent per gram of extract
383F. Saad et al. / South African Journal of Botany 125 (2019) 381385
also in the methanol extract (89.12 ± 0.23 mg AAE/g extract), followed
by the aqueous extract (78.8 ± 1.18 mg AAE/g extract). In these tests,
A. iva revealed interested antioxidants effects with minor differences
between the two tested extracts and different methods used to study
the antioxidant activity. Ajuga iva extracts showed the highest antioxi-
dant activity compared with the reported studies of Medjeldi on the
same species (Medjeldi et al., 2018)withanIC
50
=0.43 ± 0.03 mg/mL
and Movahhedin (Movahhedin et al., 2016)(IC
50
= 0.330 mg/mL)
using DPPH test. The antioxidant potential of methanol and aqueous ex-
tracts of our species in ABTS test were also greater compared to antiox-
idant activity of aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. chamaecistus,a
specie from the same genus, reported in Nasrin study (43.19 ± 1.04
and 39.41 ± 2.13 mg TE/g extract) using ABTS test (Movahhedin
et al., 2016). The antioxidant activity of A. iva methanol and aqueous ex-
tracts could be explained by the presence of important charges of phe-
nolic compounds like polyphenols, and avonoids. Indeed, numerous
studies reported previously that phenolic compounds possess remark-
able antioxidants properties in vitro and in vivo systems (Granato
et al., 2018; Pang et al., 2018; Yuwang et al., 2018), and the correlation
between phenolic substances and antioxidant effects was established
in several previous studies (Cai et al., 2004; Djeridane et al., 2006).
Ajuga iva aqueous and methanol extracts were also tested for their
inhibitory activities against the enzymes α-glucosidase and α-
amylase. The obtained results are listed in (Table 3). As summarized,
the extract obtained by maceration with methanol exhibited the
greatest inhibition potential activity against α-glucosidase and
α-amylase, with an IC
50
= 0.130 ± 0.008 and 0.172 ± 0.012 mg/mL, re-
spectively (Table 3). The aqueous extract was less efcient against
α-glucosidase and α-amylase as compared to methanol extract, with
an IC
50
= 0.180±0.005 and 0.210 ± 0.003 mg/mL respectively. The
considerable inhibitory effects of A. iva extracts against the enzymes
α-glucosidase and α-amylase showed a correlation with antioxidant ac-
tivity and phenolics compounds. All that demonstrates the potential
abilities of A. iva extracts (specially methanol extract) to reduce
the postprandial increase of blood glucose levels in diabetic patient
and their capacities to prevent type 2 diabetes, and attributes the anti-
oxidant and the inhibitory activities of aerial part extracts to the poly-
phenolic and avonoid contents of the plant. To our best knowledge,
A. iva extracts have not been yet tested for their antidiabetic
effects. Interestingly, A. iva extracts have exhibited a considerable enzy-
matic inhibition with some variability between methanol and aqueous
extract. This difference is certainly due to the functional phenolic com-
positionin each extract. Several previous works have demonstrated that
phenolic compounds may inuence carbohydrate metabolism at
various levels, improving postprandial glycemic levels, fasting blood
glucose levels, acute insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity, being
that, a strategy to help prevent DM is to limit therate of glucose absorp-
tion from the intestines into the bloodstream (Dada et al., 2017; Zaklos-
Szyda et al., 2015).
The 2000 mg/kg concentration of aqueous and methanol extracts of
A. iva do not induce any related signs of toxicity or mortality in all of the
animals of each groups, during the 14 days of study. The treatment by
each extract did not show a weight loss or changes in the behavioral
pattern or any undesired pathologic changes of the animals. Therefore,
the oral LD
50
of A.iva is greater than 2000 mg/kg (Table 4).
4. Conclusion
This preliminary study investigated the polyphenolic content, anti-
oxidant activity and digestive enzymes inhibitory activities of aqueous
and methanol extracts obtained using different extraction methods.
Our extracts exhibit a considerable antioxidant effect against the
DPPH, ABTS, and the ferric reducing power (FRAP), especially the
methanol extract. Moreover, they have an important inhibitory capacity
against the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase compared to
the standard synthetic compounds. These results suggest that the
polar-extracts from this Mediterranean and underused species from
Morocco can play a therapeutic role with oxidative stress, and diabetes
mellitus type 2 by controlling the hyperglycemia. The obtained results
of this study suggest the potential application use of A. iva crude extracts
in the eld of pharmaceutical industries, in particularly as anti-
hyperglycemic treatment. However, preclinical and clinical studies
along with phytochemical studies are required.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors have declared that there is no conict of interest
Acknowledgement
The author Saad Fettach is extremely thankful to all co-authors for
their valuable contribution, and wishes to thank Dr. Marmouzi Ilias
and Mr. Badr Zalmat for their advices, guidance and help.
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Table 4
Effectsof Aqueous and methanolextracts of A. iva on body weight of Swiss mice with dose
of 2000 mg/kg. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 6).
Extracts Dose of extract
mg/kg
Body weight (g)
Initial weight
(1st day)
Final weight
(14th day)
Difference
Aqueous
extract
2000 28 ± 1.21 31.23 ± 1.80 +3.23
Methanol
extract
2000 27 ± 1.18 29.13 ± 1.79 +2.13
Control
group
D.W 27.82 ± 4.78 30.63 ± 2.20 +2.81
Table 2
Antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) of A. iva extracts. Data are expressed as
mean ± SD (n = 3).
DPPH (IC
50
) ABTS (mg TE/g
extract)
FRAP (mg AAE/g
extract)
Aqueous extract 0.225± 0.026 49.72±0.24 78.8 ±1.18
Methanol extract 0.187± 0.016 62.19± 0.45 89.12±0.23
BHT 0.029± 0.006 ––
Ascorbic acid 0.007± 0.001 ––
mg TE/g extract: mg Trolox equivalent per gram of extract
mg AAE/g extract: mg Ascorbic Acid equivalent per gram of extract
Table 3
digestive enzymes inhibition activity (α-glucosidase and α-amylase) of A. iva extracts
expressed in IC
50
. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3).
IC
50
(mg/mL)
α-glucosidase inhibition α-amylase inhibition
Methanol extract 0.130± 0.008 0.172± 0.012
Aqueous extract 0.180± 0.005 0.210 ±0.003
Acarbose 0.018± 0.002 0.097± 0.002
384 F. Saad et al. / South African Journal of Botany 125 (2019) 381385
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385F. Saad et al. / South African Journal of Botany 125 (2019) 381385
... The Lamiaceae plant Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb., often known as "Chendgoura," has been used in traditional medicine to cure a variety of conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders, fever, toothache, rheumatism, high blood pressure, and renal and cardiovascular diseases [21]. The plant is also used in all North African countries, including Libya, Algeria, and Morocco, for the treatment of diabetes [21,22]. In that context, the antidiabetic activity of the Ajuga iva herb extract has been explored in several articles from plant species growing in Morocco and Algeria [22][23][24][25][26]. ...
... The plant is also used in all North African countries, including Libya, Algeria, and Morocco, for the treatment of diabetes [21,22]. In that context, the antidiabetic activity of the Ajuga iva herb extract has been explored in several articles from plant species growing in Morocco and Algeria [22][23][24][25][26]. All these reports have proven the antidiabetic effect of the plant through different mechanisms. ...
... The hypoglycemic effect of A. iva has been proven in several previous reports [22,23,25,[51][52][53]. In addition, it is well known that A. iva aerial parts are used in the form of decoctions and infusions in folk medicine for the management of diabetes [21]. ...
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Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb. is a well-known antidia-betic medicinal plant used for several traditional medicine aspects in different areas of the world, including Libya. This study includes phytochemical analysis, antidiabetic evaluation, and in silico studies of the plant, A. iva, growing in Libya. The constituents of the plant were profiled using LC-MS/MS-QTOF analysis, and a total of 28 compounds were tentatively identified, including engeletin, pyrocatechol, eriodyctiol-7-hexoside, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, as major constituents. In addition, the steroidal compounds, i.e., 20-hydroxyecdysone, 24-dehydroprecyasterone, makis-terone A, and ajugasterone D, which are considered chemo-markers for the plant, were also annotated by LC-MS analysis. The plant extract induced inhibition of α-amylase and α-glu-cosidase enzymes at IC 50 values of 0.18 and 0.12 mg/mL, compared to the IC 50 of the standard acarbose at 0.11 and 0.09 mg/mL, respectively. Fasting blood glucose (FBG, 360.7 mg/dL) levels were significantly reduced by the treatment of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic animals with 400 mg/kg (140.5 mg/dl) and 500 mg/kg (112.3 mg/dL) doses of the plant extract. The plant extract also induced a significant (p < 0.01) increase in insulin serum level compared to the untreated diabetic rats; however, the higher dose of the plant induced similar insulin induction compared to glibenclamide. Histopathological examination of the pancreatic and liver tissues indicated that A. iva extract induced regeneration in the islets of Langerhans and liver cells compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Docking analysis demonstrated that eriodyctiol-7-hexoside, echinacoside, and 2″-galloylhyperin showed the lowest binding energies to the target sites of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, indicating their potential role in A. iva antidiabetic bioactivities. The results support the recorded traditional bioactivity of A. iva as an antidiabetic herb, whereas its contents of polyphe-nols play a major role in the plant's antidiabetic effect.  Mosleh M. Abomughaid:
... Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic endocrine/metabolic disorder that affects multiple systems, characterized by persistent elevation of fasting and postprandial glucose levels, leading to disruptions in primary metabolism [1]. T2DM is primarily caused by insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion, which results in reduced glucose utilization and β-cell dysfunction (Kaur et al., 2020). ...
... Thiazolidine-2,4-diones compounds (1)(2)(3)(4) were synthesized using the procedures reported in the literature (Supplementary Data). ...
... Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects and to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of these compounds in humans. Table 3 shows the effects of thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives (1)(2)(3)(4) and pioglitazone on antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) and lipid peroxidation marker (MDA) in HFD-STZ-induced diabetic mice. The results indicate that the induction of diabetes caused a significant reduction in the antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and SOD) and an increase in the MDA content compared to the normal control group. ...
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic endocrine/metabolic disorder characterized by elevated postprandial and fasting glycemic levels that result in disturbances in primary metabolism. In this study, we evaluated the metabolic effects of thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives in Wistar rats and Swiss mice that were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks and received 90 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally as a T2DM model. The HFD consisted of 17% carbohydrate, 58% fat, and 25% protein, as a percentage of total kcal. The thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives treatments reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels by an average of 23.98%-50.84%, which were also improved during the oral starch tolerance test (OSTT). Treatment with thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives also improved triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and total cholesterol levels (P < 0.05). The treatment intake has also shown a significant effect to modulate the altered hepatic and renal biomarkers. Further treatment with thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives for 28 days significantly ameliorated changes in appearance and metabolic risk factors, including favorable changes in histopathology of the liver, kidney, and pancreas compared with the HFD/STZ-treated group, suggesting its potential role in the management of diabetes. Thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives are a class of drugs that act as insulin sensitizers by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ), a nuclear receptor that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. The results of this study suggest that thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives may be a promising treatment option for T2DM by improving glycemic control, lipid metabolism, and renal and hepatic function.
... Ajuga iva is an interesting source of antioxidant bioactive compounds investigated using different complementary assays, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), 2,2 diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyle (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2;2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), nitric oxide (NO), and ß-carotene assays [7,40,52,54,55]. The extraction solvent, method used, and geographical origin affect the antioxidant activity of A. iva. ...
... Different extracts of A. iva exhibited an interesting enzyme inhibitory effect on α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and ß-galactosidase [21]. Similarly, the highest inhibitory effect of methanol extract on α-amylase, αglucosidase was recorded [55]. These effects were ascribed to the phytochemicals found in A. iva, including ferulic acid, quercetin, coumaric acid, and apeginin-7-(2-O-apiosylglucoside) [31]. ...
... The histoarchitecture of the brain, liver, and kidneys of the study animals did not change after oral administration of various doses (100, 300, and 600 mg/kg) of Ajuga iva extract for 13 weeks [96,98]. The same findings are evoked by [55]. Female Swiss mice were administered a 2 g/kg dose of the methanol extract of Ajuga iva over a 2-week period without exhibiting any toxicity, behavioral abnormalities, or harmful biochemical alterations [55]. ...
... The Lamiaceae plant Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb., often known as "Chendgoura," has been used in traditional medicine to cure a variety of conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders, fever, toothache, rheumatism, high blood pressure, and renal and cardiovascular diseases [21]. The plant is also used in all North African countries, including Libya, Algeria, and Morocco, for the treatment of diabetes [21,22]. In that context, the antidiabetic activity of the Ajuga iva herb extract has been explored in several articles from plant species growing in Morocco and Algeria [22][23][24][25][26]. ...
... The plant is also used in all North African countries, including Libya, Algeria, and Morocco, for the treatment of diabetes [21,22]. In that context, the antidiabetic activity of the Ajuga iva herb extract has been explored in several articles from plant species growing in Morocco and Algeria [22][23][24][25][26]. All these reports have proven the antidiabetic effect of the plant through different mechanisms. ...
... The hypoglycemic effect of A. iva has been proven in several previous reports [22,23,25,[51][52][53]. In addition, it is well known that A. iva aerial parts are used in the form of decoctions and infusions in folk medicine for the management of diabetes [21]. ...
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Full-text available
Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb. is a well-known antidiabetic medicinal plant used for several traditional medicine aspects in different areas of the world, including Libya. This study includes phytochemical analysis, antidiabetic evaluation, and in silico studies of the plant, A. iva , growing in Libya. The constituents of the plant were profiled using LC-MS/MS-QTOF analysis, and a total of 28 compounds were tentatively identified, including engeletin, pyrocatechol, eriodyctiol-7-hexoside, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, as major constituents. In addition, the steroidal compounds, i.e., 20-hydroxyecdysone, 24-dehydroprecyasterone, makisterone A, and ajugasterone D, which are considered chemomarkers for the plant, were also annotated by LC-MS analysis. The plant extract induced inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes at IC 50 values of 0.18 and 0.12 mg/mL, compared to the IC 50 of the standard acarbose at 0.11 and 0.09 mg/mL, respectively. Fasting blood glucose (FBG, 360.7 mg/dL) levels were significantly reduced by the treatment of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic animals with 400 mg/kg (140.5 mg/dl) and 500 mg/kg (112.3 mg/dL) doses of the plant extract. The plant extract also induced a significant ( p < 0.01) increase in insulin serum level compared to the untreated diabetic rats; however, the higher dose of the plant induced similar insulin induction compared to glibenclamide. Histopathological examination of the pancreatic and liver tissues indicated that A. iva extract induced regeneration in the islets of Langerhans and liver cells compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Docking analysis demonstrated that eriodyctiol-7-hexoside, echinacoside, and 2″-galloylhyperin showed the lowest binding energies to the target sites of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, indicating their potential role in A. iva antidiabetic bioactivities. The results support the recorded traditional bioactivity of A. iva as an antidiabetic herb, whereas its contents of polyphenols play a major role in the plant’s antidiabetic effect.
... The antidiabetic effect of A. iva has been demonstrated by many experimental studies (Boudjelal et al., 2015;Wang et al., 2017) without any observable signs of toxicity (El Hilaly et al., 2004;Fettach et al., 2019;Tafesse et al., 2017). The main compounds of this plant responsible for the reduction of blood glucose are flavonoids, in particular, apigenin and naringenin (Boudjelal et al., 2015), triterpenoids, especially phytoecdysteroids (Wang et al., 2017), and phenolic acids (Khatteli et al., 2020). ...
... Other studies showed that phenolic compounds of A. iva are potent inhibitors of α-glucosidase and α-amylase in vivo and in vitro (Fettach et al., 2019;Hsieh et al., 2014); therefore, they can significantly reduce postprandial blood sugar in diabetic patients. ...
Article
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The use of medicinal plants for the prevention and treatment of several diseases, particularly diabetes, remains the remedy and the sustainable source for many diseases. This survey was conducted out in Bejaia province in the center of Algeria to invent the main plants used in folk medicine to treat diabetes mellitus, their availability in this region, and the mode of their use. This study was carried out in 2019 in several municipalities of the study area. Ethnobotanical information was obtained using a questionnaire through direct interviews with 323 people with diabetes. Among people with diabetes interviewed, 82% present type 2 diabetes, from which more than 60% of them use medicinal plants against 36.84% only in type 1 diabetics. Diabetes affected age groups differently; the age range most affected was 61-80 years (43.96%). A total of 43 plant species belonging to 25 families were identified and listed in this study. The most frequent species used by patients are Artemisia herba-alba (34.42%), Olea europaea (13.66%), and Ajuga iva (11.47%). The part of the plant used depends on the plant; the aerial part was the more used (40.9%), followed by leaves (25%) and fruits (13.63%). The other parts, such as seed, root, flower, bark, bulb, epicarp, and rhizome, were used with low frequencies. It was also interesting to indicate that decoction and infusion were the systematic preparation methods compared to others (maceration, cooking with food, and fresh). The present study clearly showed that phytotherapy is widely adopted by center Algerian society, and there is a huge diversity of medicinal plants used for the complementary treatment of diabetes. Moreover, this investigation provides researchers with important information that can be exploited to develop anti-diabetic remedies.
... The mean±SD values were utilized to express the results and the statistical analyses were conducted through ANOVA-two way using Graph Pad Prism 5 software. Additionally, the signific ance of the difference was determined at <0.05 by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients using Past 3. (Bendif et al., 2017;El-lamey, 2022;Fettach et al., 2019;Makni et al., 2013;Salem et al., 2016;Senhaji et al., 2020). Bioactive compounds are synthesized in different structures and chemical natures which affect their extraction (Joana Gil-Chávez et al., 2013). ...
... The variability of values found of the same extract using different antioxidant tests could be explained by the fact that the same bioactive compounds present in the extract may react differently against different radicals used (El Mannoubi, 2023;Venkatesan et al., 2019). The obtained results from this study agreed with the outcomes of Fettach et al. who proclaimed that methanol extract was the strongest DPPH radical, ABTS and FRAP scavengers compared to aqueous extract (Fettach et al., 2019). The same findings are evoked by Senhaji et al, citing that the methanol extract of AI was the most active extract against DPPH radical with an IC 50 of 78.40 µg/mL (Senhaji et al., 2020). ...
Article
In the present investigation, various cultivars of Ajuga iva were collected from different locations in Morocco in 2022. These cultivars were subjected to extraction using different solvents, namely water, ethanol and methanol, to obtain extracts from their aerial parts. The extracts were then analyzed to determine their total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total sugar content, hydrolysable tannin content, condensed tannin content and antioxidant activity. The results obtained from the analysis revealed the following quantities for the different parameters: The total phenolic content ranged from 226.04±8.47 to 22.59±2.43 mg GAE/g dw, the total flavonoid content ranged from 22.27±0.11 to 3.35±0.006 mg QE/g dw, the total sugar content ranged from 38.78±2.56 to 2.88±0.18 mg/g dw, the reducing sugar content ranged from 7.17±0.45 to 0.41±0.007 mg/g dw, the hydrolysable tannin content ranged from 12.25±0.017 to 0.75±0.15 mg TAE/g dw, the condensed tannin content ranged from 25.49±0.53 to 3.35±1.85 mg/g dw and the total antioxidant capacity ranged from 0.18±0.012 to 0.010±0.004 mg AAE/g dw. Furthermore, a principal component analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between the different parameters. The analysis revealed a strong correlation between the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and hydrolysable tannin content with the total antioxidant capacity. This suggests that these compounds contribute significantly to the antioxidant capacity of Ajuga iva. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that Ajuga iva contains substantial amounts of bioactive compounds and possesses a noteworthy antioxidant capacity. These results contribute to the understanding of the chemical composition and potential health benefits of Ajuga iva.
... In the context of phytochemistry, the methanol extract of Ajuga Iva leaves was analyzed using HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS, revealing a range of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Additionally, the aqueous extract of the plant contains various polyphenolic compounds, such as ferulic acid, quercetin, coumaric acid, and apigenin-7-(2-Oapiosylglucoside) [38] . The phenolic acids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals likely underlie observed anti-inflammatory outcomes. ...
Article
Full-text available
Ajuga Iva, renowned in ethnomedicine, possesses various pharmacological properties, attributed to its diverse phytochemical profile. Despite its therapeutic potential, little research has examined the efficacy of Ajuga Iva in the treatment of dysmenorrhea, a prevalent inflammatory disorder that affects a significant number of adult women around the world, This study aims to explore the anti‐inflammatory properties of Ajuga Iva in the context of treating dysmenorrhea through a combined in vitro and in silico drug repurposing approach. In vitro assays evaluated the anti‐inflammatory efficacy of the plant extracts, revealing significant activity in inhibiting protein denaturation and heat‐induced haemolysis. Molecular docking studies identified potential bioactive phytochemicals, including Apigenin, Luteolin, Naringenin, and Quercetin, interacting with COX‐2 and PGES‐1, key enzymes in dysmenorrhea‐associated inflammatory pathways. Molecular dynamics simulations supported these interactions. Ajuga Iva methanolic extract exhibited significant anti‐inflammatory activity, as shown by its ability to inhibit protein denaturation by 80.68% at 1000 (μg/m) and heat induced haemolysis by 83.41% at 2000 (μg/m). Ajuga Iva bioactive phytochemicals showed promising interactions with COX‐2 and PGES‐1, suggesting their role in the plant's anti‐inflammatory mechanism. This research underscores the promising anti‐inflammatory activities of Ajuga Iva by inhibiting COX‐2 and PGE2S‐1, offering valuable insights for future therapeutic applications.
... α-amylase is an important digestive enzyme by converting carbohydrates into oligosaccharides through cleavaging internal α-D-(1-4) glyosidic bonds (Fettach et al., 2019;Sales, Souza, Simeoni, Magalhães, & Silveira, 2012), finally contribute to the increase peaks of postprandial glucose (Lin et al., 2023). Usually, treatment for hyperglycemia mainly focuses on stimulating insulin secretion from the β-cells of pancreatic islets, inhibiting the insulin degradation process, repairing or regenerating pancreatic beta cells, and inhibiting the activity of starch hydrolases, α-amylase or α-glucosidase (Jarald, Joshi, & Jain, 2008). ...
Article
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Hyperglycemia can cause early damage to human bady and develop into diabates that will severely threaten human healthy. The effectively clinical treatment of hyperglycemiais is by inhibiting the activity of α-amylase. Black tea has been reported to show inhibitory effect on α-amylase and can be used for hyperglycemia treatment. However, the mechanism underlying is unclear. In this study, in vivo experiment showed that black tea theaflavins extract (BTE) effectively alleviated hyperglycemia. In vitro experiment showed that the effects may be caused by the interation between theaflavins and α-amylase. While TF1 and TF3 were mixed type inhibitors of α-amylase, TF2A and TF2B were competitive inhibitors of α-amylase. Molecular docking analysis showed that theaflavins monomers interacted with the hydrophobic region of α-amylase. Further study verified that monomer-α-amylase complex was spontaneously formed depending on hydrophobic interactions. Taken together, theaflavins showed potential anti-hyperglycemia effect via inhibiting α-amylase activity. Our results suggested that theaflavins might be utilized as a new type of α-amylase inhibitor to prevent and cure hyperglycemia.
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