Natural Product Research

Formerly Natural Product Letters

ISSN: 1478-6419 (Print) 1478-6427 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gnpl20

α-glucosidase inhibitors isolated from Mimosa

pudica L.

S. T. Tasnuva, U. A. Qamar, Kashif Ghafoor, F. Sahena, M. H. A. Jahurul, A.

H. Rukshana, M. J. Juliana, Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimi, L. Jalifah, K. C. A. Jalal, Md.
Eaqub Ali & I. S. M. Zaidul

To cite this article: S. T. Tasnuva, U. A. Qamar, Kashif Ghafoor, F. Sahena, M. H. A. Jahurul, A.

H. Rukshana, M. J. Juliana, Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimi, L. Jalifah, K. C. A. Jalal, Md. Eaqub Ali & I. S. M.
Zaidul (2017): α-glucosidase inhibitors isolated from Mimosa pudica L., Natural Product Research,
DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2017.1419224

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2017.1419224

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Published online: 27 Dec 2017.

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Download by: [International Islamic University Malaysia IIUM] Date: 28 December 2017, At: 07:41
 Natural Product Research, 2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2017.1419224

SHORT COMMUNICATION

α-glucosidase inhibitors isolated from Mimosa pudica L.

S. T. Tasnuvaa, U. A. Qamara, Kashif Ghafoorb, F. Sahenac, M. H. A. Jahuruld,
A. H. Rukshanae, M. J. Julianaa, Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimib, L. Jalifahf, K. C. A. Jalalc,
Md. Eaqub Alig and I. S. M. Zaidula
Downloaded by [International Islamic University Malaysia IIUM] at 07:41 28 December 2017

a
Faculty of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia;
b
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; cFaculty of Science,
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia; dFaculty of Food
Science and Nutrition, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; eFaculty of Basic Medical and
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh; fFaculty
of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia; gNanotechnology and Catalysis
Research Centre (NanoCat), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The aim of the study was to isolate digestive enzymes inhibitors from Received 6 October 2017
Mimosa pudica through a bioassay-guided fractionation approach. Accepted 13 December 2017
Repeated silica gel and sephadex LH 20 column chromatographies
KEYWORDS
of bioactive fractions afforded stigmasterol, quercetin and avicularin Mimosa pudica; Fabaceae;
as digestive enzymes inhibitors whose IC50 values as compared to α-glucosidase inhibitors
acarbose (351.02 ± 1.46 μg mL−1) were found to be as 91.08 ± 1.54,
75.16 ± 0.92 and 481.7 ± 0.703 μg mL−1, respectively. In conclusion,
M. pudica could be a good and safe source of digestive enzymes
inhibitors for the management of diabetes in future.

Antwidiabetic active principles (stigmasterol, quercetin, avicularin)

isolated from neglected weed Mimosa pudica

CONTACT  I. S. M. Zaidul  zaidul@iium.edu.my

 Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2017.1419224.
© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
 2   S. T. TASNUVA ET AL.

1. Introduction
Mimosa pudica (Linn.) (Fabaceae) is a common weed. It has been traditionally used in South-
east Asian countries as antidiabetic agent, antibacterial, wound healing, antidiabetic, anti-
venom and has anticancer potential (Tunna et al. 2014). Only a few studies on the isolation
of bioactive compounds from this plant (Yuan et al. 2007) have been carried out and there
has been a clear lack of information on the identification of active principles responsible for
the antidiabetic effect of this plant. Hence, the good prospect of this neglected weed for a
source of antidiabetic agent prompted us for the isolation of the digestive enzymes inhibitors
from M. pudica.
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2.  Results and discussion

The powdered sample (aerial parts of M. pudica) was extracted exhaustively using methanol
to give the initial methanol extract (MeOHi) and then concentrated MeOHi was subjected
to polarity-based fractionation successively using hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone and finally
methanol (Umar et al. 2010). Among all the fractions of MeOHi, ethyl acetate fraction (EtOAcf)
showed the most potent α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes inhibitory activities and
therefore were selected for the isolation of active principles responsible for the inhibition
of afore-mentioned digestive enzymes. Upon silica gel column chromatography, EtOAcf
afforded total 376 fractions which then upon TLC examinations were reduced to 18 combined
fractions (CFs) which were further subjected to digestive enzymes inhibitory assay against
α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes (Table 1). The α-amylase showed some erratic behav-
iour with non-reproducible results (Tunna et al. 2015), henceforth, only α-glucosidase was
used for the analysis of antidiabetic efficacy of the compounds isolated from the bioactive
fractions. Five (5) different compounds i.e. two fatty acids (TZ-1 and TZ-2), one steroid (TZ-3)
and two flavonoids (TZ-4 and TZ-5) were isolated from the EtOAcf. TZ-3 (stigmasterol), TZ-4
(quercetin) and TZ-5 (avicularin) (Figure S1) showed good inhibitory activity against α-glu-
cosidase (Table 2). Their structures were characterised by UV, IR, NMR, MS spectral analysis
and data were further compared with the reported data for the similar compounds.
Stigmasterol is also known as Wulzen anti-stiffness factor. In the current study, the IC50
value for stigmasterol was found to be 91.08 μg mL−1 in comparison to acarbose
(351.02 μg mL−1). Hence, stigmasterol was found to be 3.8-fold more potent than the acar-
bose. Mechanism of action is denoted to unsaturation of the rings which attributes for

Table 1. Results for the enzyme inhibitory assay for the combined fractions (CF).
Combined fractions, CF(1 mg/mL) α-amylase inhibition α-glucosidase inhibition Remarks/Inference
6 NA NA TZ-1
7 NA NA TZ-2
10 97.47 ± 2.018 17.77 ± 7.387 TZ-3
11 31.29 ± 12.72 −8.131 ± 1.25 –
12 91.26 ± 4.405 −7.052 ± 2.465 –
13 96.34 ± 2.953 −4.76 ± 4.036 –
14 N/A N/A –
15 109 ± 5.25 55.7 ± 3.692 TZ-4
16 82.77 ± 20.13 40.27 ± 4.063 TZ-4
17 88.55 ± 11.09 43.47 ± 1.894 TZ-4
18 97.39 ± 2.767 31.87 ± 7.038 TZ-5
 Downloaded by [International Islamic University Malaysia IIUM] at 07:41 28 December 2017

Table 2. Results of α-glucosidase inhibition (IC50) (μg mL−1) of isolated compounds.

Compounds 15.625 31.25 62.5 125 250 500 IC50
TZ-1 (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (-)ve Not active
TZ-2 (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve (−)ve Not active
TZ-3 (−)ve 1.95(±0.707) 2.56(±1.46) 72.86(±3.66) 89.93(±3.94) 97.59(±4.11) 91.08(±1.54, r2 0.87)
TZ-4 2.105(±1.01) 5.37(±1.11) 9.43(±1.09) 22.62(±2.55) 54.90(±2.84) 123.18(±0.88) 75.16(±0.92, r2 0.996)
TZ-5 4.37(±0.8) 6.66(±0.98) 29.11(±0.32) 51.10(±2.00) 65.21(±4.21) 66.55(±2.41) 481.7(±0.703, r2 0.994)
Acarbose NA 3.56(±3.3) 8.68(±1.59) 18.35(±6.05) 40.65(±3.41) 68.43(±3.63) 351.02(±1.46, r2 0.98)
Notes: NA: Not Available; Significance of variance: significant, p < 0.05.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH 
 3
 4   S. T. TASNUVA ET AL.

conjugation hence it works as metal chelator, peroxide and lipid peroxide scavenger (Torres-
Piedra et al. 2010).
Quercetin is a well-known antioxidant naturally present in many medicinal plants
(D’andrea 2015). This study, found quercetin to be 4.6 times more potent than the acarbose.
Quercetin being a plant-derived flavonoid has multifaceted action such as lowering blood
glucose level (BGL), protecting pancreas from oxidative stress, whereas acarbose act only
by lowering BGL by preventing carbohydrate digestion. In conjunction effect of a flavonoid
molecule depends on the type, number and position of glycosyl groups which relates to
their proton donating effect of flavonoids. Quercetin may show higher activity than acarbose
Downloaded by [International Islamic University Malaysia IIUM] at 07:41 28 December 2017

due to the combined effect of having 3″,4″-dihroxy group along with 5″–OH and 3″ substi-
tution (Li et al. 2009; Torres-Piedra et al. 2010; Kumar and Pandey 2013).
Avicularin, in the current study, showed good inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase
enzyme (IC50 481.7 ± 0.7 μg mL−1) although not as high as other compounds the reason
could be the number and positions of the hydroxyl group not as favourable as in that of
quercetin. In addition avicularin (a quercetin derivative) has a sugar moiety attached to the
quercetin structure which significantly reduces the scavenging power of the molecule
(Kumar and Pandey 2013). Nonetheless avicularin, being plant based and widely available,
showed its potential to control postprandial ‘hyperglycemic spikes’ in diabetic patients with
regard to managing diabetes.

3. Conclusion
Three potent α-glucosidase inhibitors (i.e. stigmasterol, quercetin and avicularin) have been
isolated from the aerial parts of M. pudica for the first time that can be clinically developed
for treating diabetes mellitus. Hence, this weed can be proposed as future antidiabetic ther-
apeutic alternative source instead of various antidiabetic medicinal plants which are hard
to source, expensive and some are on the verge of extinction due to over harvesting for
fulfilling the everlasting demands of herbal industries throughout the world to treat various
ailments.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding
This research work was partially supported by research initiative grant scheme [RIGS16-397-0561 and
RIGS 16-294-0458] of International Islamic University Malaysia. The authors extend their appreciation
to the International Scientific Partnership Program ISPP at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
for funding this research work through ISPP# 0026.

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