Syzygium sp: compostos bioativos e ação sobre as enzimas digestivas

Abstract

Currently, diabetes mellitus and obesity represent some of the greatest public health problems. Due to the high cost of drug treatment, the difficulty in accessing medical treatments and the wide tradition of the population in the use of plant species, it is necessary to search for more accessible alternatives, such as inhibitors of digestive enzymes present in natural sources, such as medicinal plants. An example is the species Syzygium sp, referred to as hypoglycemic and efficient in weight loss. Therefore, considering its high potential for use in therapy, the need for further studies - especially those related to efficacy, hypoglycemic and antioxidant mechanism of action - and the scarcity of information related to its inhibition profile of digestive enzymes, the objectives were: obtain samples of Syzygium sp commercial teas, prepare raw extracts by the infusion method in a ratio of 1: 200 and carry out digestion enzyme inhibition tests, before and after exposure to a simulated gastric fluid; determine the presence of total phenolics, alkaloids, tannins, flavonols and flavones and evaluate the antioxidant capacity; evaluate enzymatic kinetics against inhibitors; investigate the presence of alpha-amylase inhibitors in the extracts and carry out theoretical studies to elucidate the supposed mechanism of enzymatic inhibition of amylase by recognized inhibitors. Syzygium sp tea samples showed low percentages of inhibition of digestive enzymes at the 1: 200 dilution. The antioxidant activity was significant, although the contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and flavones, alkaloids and tannins were not expressive at this dilution. MALDI/ToF spectroscopy suggests the presence of luteolin and molecular docking revealed that both luteolin and starch bind in the same active site of the amylase, but in a competitive manner. It is concluded that the complex matrix of the jambolan extract is responsible for the variation of the inhibitory profile of the samples and that additional studies should be conducted to elucidate the efficacy and safety of the use of extracts of Syzygium sp in vivo. Therefore, considering the apparent lack of standardization of the samples, it is still not recommended its use by the population to aid in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.