In vitro inhibition of a-amylase enzyme, phytochemical study and antioxidant capacity for cupressus sempervirens extracts growing in arid climat

Abstract

Cupressus sempervirens (Cupressaceae) “cypress” is growing in the Mediterranean basin; it is a medicinal and an aromatic plant it used in treatment of many diseases in traditional medicine. This paper aims to determining antioxidant potential of C. sempervirens extracts and evaluating their inhibitory effects on α-amylase enzyme. The antioxidant properties of the crude extract and its factions were assessed by phosphomolybdenum, DPPH assay and α-amylase inhibitory activity was evaluating by spectrophotometric methods. Results showed that all extracts have high reductive activity better than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) with Ascorbic Acid Equivalent Anti-oxidant Capacity (AEAC) values ranged between 789.04 ± 32.47 and 28.18 ± 3.09 mM, while the greatest radical scavenging activity was found at ethyl acetate fraction with IC50 value 10 μg/ml, whereas in α-amylase enzyme inhibitory activity, ethyl acetate fraction of fruits showed the highest α-amylase inhibitory activity (43.35%). While the inhibitory patterns of ethyl acetate fraction of fruits (EFF) and ethyl acetate portion of tannin extract for leaves (EFT) were competitive type.