Abstract
The search for natural inhibitors with anti-diabetes properties has gained increasing attention. Among four selected Smilacaceae family plants, Smilax china L. stems (SCS) showed significant in vitro anti-glycation and rat lens aldose reductase inhibitory activities. Bioactivity-guided isolation was performed with SCS and four solvent fractions were obtained, which in turn yielded 10 compounds, including one phenolic acid, three chlorogenic acids, four flavonoids, one stilbene, and one phenylpropanoid glycoside; their structures were elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. All solvent fractions, isolated compounds, and stem extracts from plants sourced from six different provinces of South Korea were next tested for their inhibitory effects against advanced glycation end products, as well as aldose reductase. α-Glucosidase, and lipase assays were also performed on the fractions and compounds. Since compounds 3, 4, 6, and 8 appeared to be the superior inhibitors among the tested compounds, a comparative study was performed via high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection using a self-developed analysis method to confirm the relationship between the quantity and bioactivity of the compounds in each extract. The findings of this study demonstrate the potent therapeutic efficacy of SCS and its potential use as a cost-effective natural alternative medicine against type 2 diabetes and its complications.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a disease caused by insulin resistance, currently represents a major health issue concerning both the governments of countries where patients live as well as affected individuals
The purity of the obtained compounds, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography photo diode array (HPLC-PDA), was higher than 95.0%
Were obtained from the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and compounds 2–5 were found in the n-butanol fraction (NBF)
Summary
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a disease caused by insulin resistance, currently represents a major health issue concerning both the governments of countries where patients live as well as affected individuals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), long-term uncontrolled diabetes can affect the functions of other organs, resulting in a series of complications, such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy, atherosclerosis, nephropathy, and delayed wound healing [2]. Persistent hyperglycemia causes the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) via non-enzymatic glycation of amino acid residues and oxidative derivatives [3]. This elevates polyol and hexosamine pathway flux and boosts the activation of kinase C isoforms, which are considered the main factors in the pathogenesis of long-term diabetic complications [4].
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