ISOLATION OF AN ALPHA AMYLASE INHIBITOR FROM COSTUS SPECIOSUS LEAVES
Tanaya Ghosh, Prasenjit Mitra and Prasanta Kumar Mitra*
ABSTRACT
Costus speciosus (C. speciosus), commonly known as keu, is a medicinal plant. Although the plant is being utilized in traditional medicine for treatments of diarrhea, dysentery, cold and cough, rheumatism, dyspepsia, skin diseases, fever, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, dropsy, urinary diseases, jaundice, eye and ear infections and snake bites etc. special interest was taken for its use in diabetes. Recently we have confirmed in vitro alpha amylase inhibitory activity of summer samples of C. speciosus leaves grown in this region. Since alpha amylase inhibitor can keep postprandial blood glucose level of Type-2 diabetic patients under control by inhibiting split of complex carbohydrate to free sugar, alpha amylase inhibitor is now being used in the treatment of diabetes. Acarbose, one alpha amylase inhibitor, has already been included in the list of drugs of Type - 2 diabetes mellitus. The present worked was, therefore, aimed to isolate alpha amylase inhibitor from the leaves of C. speciosus. Leaves of C. speciosus were collected from the local market during summer and identified by the taxonomist. Ethanol extract of the plant leaves was processed for isolation work by standard methods. Solvent extraction, acid hydrolysis were done followed by solvent treatment and chromatographic experiments. Finally a compound was crystallized. In vitro alpha amylase inhibitory activity of the isolated compound was checked by standard method. Acarbose was used as control. Results showed that the isolated compound had maximum alpha amylase inhibitory activity which was comparable to that of acarbose. The isolated compound may, therefore, be used in the management of Type-2 diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: C. speciosus Leaves, isolated compound, alpha amylase inhibitory activity, acarbose, diabetes.
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