Inhibition of Human Salivary and Pancreatic α-Amylase by Resveratrol Oligomers.

A key strategy to mitigate postprandial hyperglycemia involves inhibiting α-amylases, which commence the starch digestion process in the gut. This study examined the inhibitory effects of resveratrol and stilbenoid tetramers, vaticanol B, (-)-hopeaphenol, and vatalbinoside A on human salivary and pancreatic α-amylases experimentally and through molecular docking studies. Vaticanol B demonstrated the most potent inhibition with IC values of 5.

Structure-function relationships in (poly)phenol-enzyme binding: Direct inhibition of human salivary and pancreatic α-amylases.

(Poly)phenols inhibit α-amylase by directly binding to the enzyme and/or by forming starch-polyphenol complexes. Conventional methods using starch as the substrate measure inhibition from both mechanisms, whereas the use of shorter oligosaccharides as substrates exclusively measures the direct interaction of (poly)phenols with the enzyme. In this study, using a chromatography-based method and a short oligosaccharide as the substrate, we investigated the detailed structural prerequisites for the direct inhibition of human salivary and pancreatic α-amylases by over 50 (poly)phenols from the (poly)phenol groups: flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, polymethoxyflavones, isoflavones, anthocyanidins and phenolic acids.

Review of factors affecting citrus polyphenol bioavailability and their importance in designing in vitro, animal, and intervention studies.

Evidence from in vitro, animal, and human studies links citrus fruit consumption with several health-promoting effects. However, many in vitro studies disregard bioavailability data, a key factor determining responses in humans. Citrus (poly)phenol metabolism and bioavailability follow specific pathways that vary widely among individuals and are affected by several intrinsic (age, sex, gut microbiota, metabolic state, genetic polymorphisms) and extrinsic (food matrix, co-consumed food, (poly)phenol solubility, dose, food processing, lifestyle) factors.

Measuring key human carbohydrate digestive enzyme activities using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.

Carbohydrate digestion in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract is catalyzed by α-amylases and α-glucosidases to produce monosaccharides for absorption. Inhibition of these enzymes is the major activity of the drugs acarbose and miglitol, which are used to manage diabetes. Furthermore, delaying carbohydrate digestion via inhibition of α-amylases and α-glucosidases is an effective strategy to blunt blood glucose spikes, a major risk factor for developing metabolic diseases.

Citrus polyphenols and risk of type 2 diabetes: Evidence from mechanistic studies.

Citrus fruits are a rich source of (poly)phenols, a group of dietary bioactive compounds that protect against developing type 2 diabetes. Our review critically evaluates how experimental in vitro and animal models have elucidated some of the underlying mechanisms on how citrus (poly)phenols affect the markers of type 2 diabetes. According to animal studies, the beneficial effects derived from consuming citrus compounds appear to be related to long-term effects, rather than acute.

Maltoheptaoside hydrolysis with chromatographic detection and starch hydrolysis with reducing sugar analysis: Comparison of assays allows assessment of the roles of direct α-amylase inhibition and starch complexation.

The aim was to determine inhibition of human α-amylase activity by (poly)phenols using maltoheptaoside as substrate with direct chromatographic product quantification, compared to hydrolysis of amylose and amylopectin estimated using 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid. Acarbose exhibited similar IC values (50% inhibition) with maltoheptaoside, amylopectin or amylose as substrates (2.37 ± 0.

Chemical composition and health benefits of coconut oil: an overview.

Coconut oil is an integral part of Sri Lankan and many South Asian diets. Initially, coconut oil was classified along with saturated fatty acid food items and criticized for its negative impact on health. However, research studies have shown that coconut oil is a rich source of medium-chain fatty acids.

Critical review on conventional spectroscopic α-amylase activity detection methods: merits, demerits, and future prospects.

α-Amylase is an endoenzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of internal α-l,4 glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides to produce maltose, maltotriose, and α-limit dextrins. It is widely used in the laboratorial and industrial workflow for several applications. There are several methods utilizing different techniques and substrates to assess α-amylase activity, among which the spectroscopic methods have found widespread applicability due to their ease of use and cost-effectiveness.

Applicability and reliability of the glucose oxidase method in assessing α-amylase activity.

Glucose oxidase (GOD) is an enzyme widely used in glucose monitoring systems owing to its high specificity towards glucose. However, in our previous work maltose was found to show significant interaction with GOD and based on this observation, a novel microplate-based method was developed to assess α-amylase inhibitory activity (GOD method). Concerns regarding the interaction of GOD with maltose has limited the widespread use of the GOD method in assessing α-amylase activity.

Boiled, sprouted, and raw cowpea-incorporated diets modulate high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of processed (boiled and sprouted) cowpea-incorporated experimental diets on serum cholesterol and serum antioxidant capacity in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed Wistar rats. Seven weeks old male Wistar rats were fed 20% fat as a control (CD), for comparison with 20% fat-enriched diets containing 20% whole raw cowpea diets (Bombay Raw Diet; BRD and MI35 Raw Diet; MRD), boiled cowpea diets (Bombay Boiled Diet; BBD and MI35 Boiled Diet; MBD) and sprouted cowpea diet (Bombay Sprouted Diet; BSD) for 6 weeks. The increase in serum total cholesterol as a result of high-fat diet was significantly countered by boiled and raw cowpea-incorporated diet-fed rats.

Cowpea: an overview on its nutritional facts and health benefits.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a legume consumed as a high-quality plant protein source in many parts of the world. High protein and carbohydrate contents with a relatively low fat content and a complementary amino acid pattern to that of cereal grains make cowpea an important nutritional food in the human diet. Cowpea has gained more attention recently from consumers and researchers worldwide as a result of its exerted health beneficial properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties.

Banana Blossom ( Colla) Incorporated Experimental Diets Modulate Serum Cholesterol and Serum Glucose Level in Wistar Rats Fed with Cholesterol.

Hypocholesterolaemic and hypoglycaemic effect of banana blossom were studied in high-cholesterol fed rats. Experimental groups were fed for 4 weeks, with casein as the basal diet (CN), in comparison with two diets containing 0.5% cholesterol (CD) and 0.

Comparative Analysis of Nutritional and Bioactive Properties of Aerial Parts of Snake Gourd ( Linn.).

The present investigation was carried out to determine the nutritional and functional properties of . Water extracts of freeze dried flowers, fruits, and leaves of . were evaluated for their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, -amylase inhibitory activity, and fiber and mineral contents.

Health-beneficial properties of potato and compounds of interest.

Potatoes have shown promising health-promoting properties in human cell culture, experimental animal and human clinical studies, including antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, anticancer and antidiabetic effects. Compounds present such as phenolics, fiber, starch and proteins as well as compounds considered antinutritional such as glycoalkaloids, lectins and proteinase inhibitors are believed to contribute to the health benefits of potatoes. However, epidemiological studies exploring the role of potatoes in human health have been inconclusive.

A simple microplate-based method for the determination of α-amylase activity using the glucose assay kit (GOD method).

For the first time, a reliable, simple, rapid and high-throughput analytical method for the detection and quantification of α-amylase inhibitory activity using the glucose assay kit was developed. The new method facilitates rapid screening of a large number of samples, reduces labor, time and reagents and is also suitable for kinetic studies. This method is based on the reaction of maltose with glucose oxidase (GOD) and the development of a red quinone.