Abstract
Background: The genus Linaria belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. It is a large genus comprising about 200 species. Various parts of several Linaria species have been reported to exhibit various biological effects. In Algeria especially in the Sahara and steppe regions, the different species of Linaria have several uses in dietary application.
Objective: The aims of this study are to evaluate the α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase inhibitory effects and the antioxidant activity using in vitro assays by an organic extract of the aerial part of Linaria aegyptiaca collected in two months, April and June, from southern Algeria.
Methods: The extracts were obtained with successful maceration in (hexane, dichloromethane, acetone and methanol). The phenolics and flavonoids contents of L. aegyptiaca extracts were evaluated with Folin- Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride reagents, respectively. Then, we studied their inhibitory effects on α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase enzymes. The antioxidant potential was determined in vitro with DPPH, ABT and Phosphomolybdate tests.
Results: The highest phenolic and flavonoid content were detected in the methanolic extracts of Linaria aegyptiaca collected in April. All the extracts showed good inhibitory activity on both enzymes, where the best activity was against α- amylase by acetonic extract collected in June with an IC50 = 95.03 μg/ml. The evaluation of antioxidant activity showed that all the extracts exhibited a good antioxidant capacity compared to standard antioxidants.
Conclusion: The aim of this research is to establish the anti-diabetic properties and the probable alpha glucosidase and alpha amylase inhibitory activities of Algerian Linaria aegyptiaca species. These results show that this species has good antioxidant properties and a good potential for hyperglycemia management, too. The Algerian Linaria aegyptiaca can be considered as a natural source of anti-hyperglycemic treatment and might be interesting for the prospect of new molecules with antidiabetic effect.
Keywords: ABT, antioxidant activity, DPPH, enzyme inhibition, Linaria aegyptiaca, α – amylase, α – glucosidase, Phosphomolybdate.
Graphical Abstract