Evaluation of trans-cinnamaldehyde as an anti-hyperglycemic compound through inhibition of α- amylase

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) derive bioactive compound viz.trans-cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, and cinnamic acid on inhibition of Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase (BLA) and pancreatic porcine α-amylase (PPA) activity. The inhibition extent of each of the compounds was determined along with their inhibition kinetics and compared with standard inhibitor-acarbose (Synthetic anti-diabetic agent). The IC50 values for trans-cinnamaldehyde with respect to BLA and PPAwere observed to 5.38 μg mL−1 and 3.76 μg mL−1, respectively. The IC50 value of acarbose was estimated to be 6.2 μg mL−1 for both the amylases. The maximum percent enzyme inhibition of 75.8 (at 10.75 µg mL−1) and 71.6 (5.38 µg mL−1) were observed in case of BLA and PPA, respectively, using trans-cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamyl alcohol and cinnamic acid on the other hand were observed to show no specific inhibitory effect on the both the α-amylases even at high concentrations. Catalytic efficiency (Vmax/Km) of both the amylases was observed to decrease significantly in presence of trans-cinnamaldehyde compared to acarbose. Overall, trans-cinnamaldehyde was observed as a better inhibitor of α-amylase compared to known synthetic inhibitor-acarbose. Thus, trans-cinnamaldehyde could effectively be used for controlling hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus.