Revealing Anti-diabetic potential of Siddha formulation Gandhaka Sarkkarai using alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disorder which involves multiple pathology manifested with increased blood glucose, neural degeneration, chronic inflammation, organ dysfunction etc. Hyperactive metabolic enzymes like alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase that are involved in digestion of starch and sucrose further upswings the postprandial hyperglycaemia by rushing excess glucose moieties into the bloodstream. Drugs that effectively inhibit the action of these digestive enzymes may be expected to better regulate the post prandial blood glucose in the diabetic patients. Conventional anti-diabetic agents offer potential side effects upon long-term usage which includes vomiting, diarrhoea, pigmentation, GI disturbance, dark urination etc.The Siddha system of medicine has excelled in the art of treating human ailments for several centuries. Aim: Present investigation designed to investigate the anti-diabetic potential of siddha formulation Gandhaka sarkkarai (GS) using in-vitro alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay model. Results: It was evidenced from the outcome of the in-vitro data’s that the siddha formulation GS shown significant inhibition against alpha glucosidase enzyme with the maximum inhibition of about 50.44 % and the corresponding IC₅₀ is 471.1 μg/ml, similar pattern of activity were observed against alpha amylase enzyme with the inhibition of 60.84 % (IC₅₀ 400.9 μg/ml). Conclusion: Our data concludes that siddha formulation GS possess significant anti-diabetic activity via inhibiting two major carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, further studies needs to extrapolated at pre-clinical level in order to ascertain the efficacy of the formulation.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Alpha amylase, Alpha glucosidase, Siddha, Gandhaka sarkkarai, Enzyme inhibition assay, In-vitro, Anti-diabetic activity.