ALPHA-AMYLASE INHIBITION AND MEMBRANE STABILIZING EFFECT OF THE STEM BARK OF MAESOBOTRYA DUSENII HUTCHINSON

Introduction: Control of blood glucose level is a critical approach in the management of diabetes mellitus and its complications. This study investigated the α-amylase inhibition and erythrocyte membrane stabilization effect of extracts of Maesobotrya dusenii Hutch. Method: Powdered stem bark of M. dusenii (100g) was extracted with methanol. The plant material (400g) was also successively macerated with N-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Phytochemical screening was conducted on the powdered stem bark. All the extracts were evaluated for alpha-amylase inhibition at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 µg/mL concentrations using acarbose as standard drug and erythrocyte membrane stabilization at 20, 40, 60 and 80 µg/mL concentrations using diclofenac as standard drug. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) of the hexane extract was analyzed. Result: Phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrates, saponins, and triterpenoids. All the extracts showed a dose-dependent response on alpha-amylase inhibition in which crude methanol had a significant activity of 56.7% inhibition. N-Hexane, ethyl acetate, and crude methanol extracts showed erythrocyte membrane stabilizing effect, but crude methanol showed the most activity with 183.3% inhibition of erythrocyte membrane stabilization and IC₅₀ of 70 µg/mL against diclofenac 28.4 µg/mL. The GC-MS revealed hexadecanoic acid and six other compounds that were fully characterized by database. Conclusion: The study showed that crude methanol extract has significant alpha-amylase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory activity than other extracts. The study justifies the use of M. dusenii in the management of diabetes.