Abstract
Mulberry leaves have been known to be rich in 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) which inhibits postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting α-glucosidase in the small intestine and thereby reducing the breakdown of starch and other complex sugar into glucose. Mulberry leaf extract also contains many other bioactive compounds and phytochemicals. They are very effective in supporting blood sugar levels and balancing cholesterol and triglycerides. The DNJ content in mulberry leaves depends on the leaf’s variety and age. In this study, the phytochemical profile and DNJ content of young leaves and mature mulberry leaves in Indonesia were determined to further promote mulberry use using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Pyrolisis Gass Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The phytochemicals test result for the four leaf samples showed that all four samples contain alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins and terpenes. The mature leaves of M. cathayana contain the highest DNJ concentration (2.90 mg DNJ/g leaves) out of eight samples. DNJ has the potential to be used as a functional food for diabetic patients. Analysis using HPLC and Py-GC-MS confirmed that mulberry species contain many beneficial phytochemicals. This study presented that Indonesian mulberry leaves extracts to have high phytochemical compositions which very potential utilized in the medicinal field.
Highlights
Mulberry is a plant from Moraceae family and Morus genus
This result revealed that alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins and terpenes are present in all eight leaf samples
The result of preliminary qualitative tests in this study shows that all mulberry leaf samples contain all major groups of phytochemicals, which are alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins and terpenes
Summary
Mulberry is a plant from Moraceae family and Morus genus. Mulberry can grow in a wide variety of climate, from temperate to tropical, so this plant is cultivated in many regions, including Indonesia. Outside from its use as silkworm’s feeds, mulberry leaves used in traditional medicine because of its therapeutic effect (Ozgen et al, 2009) and pharmacology benefit (Song et al, 2009; Zafar et al, 2013). Many countries in Asia use mulberry leaves as a treatment for diabetes. The antidiabetic activity of the mulberry leaves already verified through studies with animal experiments and human trials (Hunyadi et al, 2013). This activity comes from various bioactive constituents inside the mulberry leaves, with the one that contributes most for anti-diabetic effect is 1deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) (Kimura et al, 2007)
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