Additive inhibitory effect of the peels of Citrus limon and Citrus sinensis against amylase and glucosidase activity

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem and it is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Decreased utilization of glucose by the body cells and continuous raise in the plasma glucose levels are the major characteristic symptoms of diabetes. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia is associated with pathological conditions, mostly micro and macrovascular. Treatment for diabetes is aimed at the management of hyperglycemia using oral hypoglycemic agents which inhibit carbohydrate degrading enzymes, namely amylase and glucosidase. The purpose of this study was to investigate the naturally available inhibitors of amylase and glucosidase present in the peels of citrus fruits such as lemon and orange. The hydroalcoholic extract of the fruit peels were studied for their amylase and glucosidase inhibitory potential and the extract of lemon peel was found to exhibit better inhibition than the orange peel. The extracts were further evaluated for their additive effect. The combined effect of the extracts (50% inhibition achieved at 40 and 80mcg) proved to exhibit better inhibitory potential than the individual effect (50% inhibition achieved at 80 and 160mcg). Thus, from this study, it was very clear that our choice drug sources is containing potential antidiabetic principles that need to be studied further to understand the mechanism of action in detail.