Chemical composition of the dietary supplement Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt, and its effect on antioxidant status and inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Herbal dietary supplements are widely used throughout the world with reports of their use among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present work aimed to provide a comprehensive depiction of the dietary supplement Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (in the form of aqueous extract of freeze-dried powder), and to determine its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in patients with T2DM. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the dietary supplement were evaluated through a three-month long, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 158 newly diagnosed patients with T2DM. The dietary supplement consisted of phytoconstituents including loliolide, neophytadiene, palmitic acid methyl ester, among others. The absence of microorganisms was observed for a month at 40°C. In vitro antidiabetic assays revealed the inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV enzymes, and also the enhancement of glucose uptake in cells. Administration of C. grandis dietary supplement (500 mg/day) for three months was able to change variables from the baseline to the end of the intervention, in the test and placebo groups, as -3.25 ± 3.93 and 1.42 ± 4.84 U/L for glutathione reductase (p < 0.001), 12.75 ± 33.35 and -1.45 ± 41.93 nmol/dL for malonaldehyde (p = 0.025), and 5.89 ± 11.49 and 0.46 ± 13.11 pg/mL for interleukin-6 (p = 0.002), respectively. The standardised dietary supplement showed antidiabetic activity in vitro. The clinical study revealed its promising commercial application as a dietary supplement, by improving antioxidant status and reducing inflammation in newly diagnosed patients with T2DM.