Biological Activity of Traditional Foods: Alpha-Amylase and Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibition of Legumes and Cereals

Abstract

This study investigated the in vitro inhibitory effects of cereal and legume extracts namely lentil (Lens culinaris), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), rice (Oryza sativa), and bulgur commonly consumed in Turkey, on α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Inhibition of these enzymes is recognized as a key mechanism in regulating postprandial glycemia and preventing type 2 diabetes. The IC₅₀ values of the extracts obtained with 50% ethanol revealed that kidney bean exhibited the strongest α-amylase inhibition (43.31 mg/mL), followed by lentil and bulgur (63 mg/mL). For α-glucosidase, bulgur (57.70 mg/mL) and kidney bean (77 mg/mL) demonstrated the highest inhibitory activities. Acarbose, used as a positive control, exhibited the lowest IC₅₀ values for both enzymes. These findings suggest that the tested cereals and legumes can modulate digestive enzyme activity, and their regular consumption may contribute to lowering the risk of obesity and diabetes. Overall, the study highlights that incorporating locally available plant-based foods as functional ingredients can provide a natural and sustainable strategy for preventing metabolic disorders.

Keywords

• α-Glucosidase
• Legumes
• Cereals
• Enzyme inhibition
• Type 2 diabetes

Geleneksel Besinlerin Biyolojik Aktivitesi: Baklagil ve Tahılların Alfa-Amilaz ve Alfa-Glukozidaz İnhibisyonu

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de yaygın olarak tüketilen mercimek (Lens culinaris), nohut (Cicer arietinum), barbunya (Phaseolus vulgaris), pirinç (Oryza sativa) ve bulgur gibi tahıl ve baklagil özütlerinin α-amilaz ve α-glukozidaz enzimleri üzerindeki inhibitör etkilerini in vitro olarak değerlendirmiştir. Bu enzimlerin inhibisyonu, postprandiyal gliseminin düzenlenmesi ve tip 2 diyabetin önlenmesinde önemli bir mekanizma olarak görülmektedir. %50 etanol ile elde edilen ekstraktların IC₅₀ değerleri incelendiğinde, α-amilaz için en güçlü inhibisyon kidney bean (43,31 mg/mL) özütünde gözlenmiş, bunu mercimek ve bulgur (63 mg/mL) izlemiştir. α-glukozidaz üzerinde ise bulgur (57,70 mg/mL) ve kidney bean (62,45 mg/mL) en yüksek aktiviteyi göstermiştir. Pozitif kontrol olarak kullanılan akarboz, her iki enzim için de en düşük IC₅₀ değerine sahip olmuştur. Sonuçlar, bu tahıl ve baklagillerin sindirim enzimlerini düzenleyici etkiler gösterdiğini ve düzenli tüketimlerinin obezite ve diyabet riskini azaltmada destekleyici rol oynayabileceğini göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, yerel bitkisel gıdaların fonksiyonel bileşen olarak kullanılmasının metabolik hastalıkların önlenmesinde doğal ve sürdürülebilir bir yaklaşım sunabileceğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• α-Amilaz
• α-Glukozidaz
• Baklagiller
• Tahıllar
• Enzim inhibisyonu
• Tip 2 diyabet

References

1. Arneth B, Arneth R, Shams M. Metabolomics of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20:2467.
2. Cho NH, Shaw JE, Karuranga S, Huang Y, da Rocha Fernandes JD, Ohlrogge A, Malanda B. IDF Diabetes Atlas: global estimates of diabetes prevalence for 2017 and projections for 2045. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2018; 138:271-281.
3. Thomas R, Halim S, Gurudas S, Sivaprasad S, Owens D. IDF Diabetes Atlas: a review of studies utilising retinal photography on the global prevalence of diabetes related retinopathy between 2015 and 2018. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2019; 157:107840.
4. Wen W, Li H, Wang C, Chen C, Tang J, Zhou M, Hong X, Cheng Y, Wu Q, Zhang X. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis. Front Endocrinol. 2022; 13:934225.
5. Guilherme A, Virbasius JV, Puri V, Czech MP. Adipocyte dysfunctions linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2008; 9:367-377.
6. Sales PM, Souza PM, Simeoni LA, Magalhães PO, Silveira D. α-Amylase inhibitors: a review of raw material and isolated compounds from plant source. J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2012; 15:141-183.
7. Caspary WF. Physiology and pathophysiology of intestinal absorption. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992; 55:299S-308S.
8. Williamson G. Possible effects of dietary polyphenols on sugar absorption and digestion. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013; 57:48-57.

9. Etxeberria U, de la Garza AL, Campión J, Martínez JA, Milagro FI. Antidiabetic effects of natural plant extracts via inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolysis enzymes with emphasis on pancreatic alpha amylase. Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2012; 16:269-297.
10. González-Montoya M, Hernández-Ledesma B, Silván JM, Mora-Escobedo R, Martínez-Villaluenga C. Peptides derived from in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of germinated soybean proteins inhibit human colon cancer cells proliferation and inflammation. Food Chem. 2018; 242:75-82.
11. Polak R, Phillips EM, Campbell A. Legumes: health benefits and culinary approaches to increase intake. Clin Diabetes. 2015; 33:198-205.
12. Hu EA, Pan A, Malik V, Sun Q. White rice consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: meta-analysis and systematic review. BMJ. 2012;344: e1454.
13. Ademiluyi AO, Oboh G. Phenolic-rich extracts from selected tropical underutilized legumes inhibit α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and angiotensin I converting enzyme in vitro. Food Sci Technol Int. 2012; 18:451-458.
14. Bhagyawant SS, Narvekar DT, Gupta N, Bhadkaria A, Gautam AK, Srivastava N. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) lectin exhibit inhibition of ACE-I, α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity. Protein Pept Lett. 2019; 26:494-501.
15. Kanat M, DeFronzo RA, Abdul-Ghani MA. Treatment of prediabetes. World J Diabetes. 2015; 6:1207-1222.
16. Bayrak S. Diyabetik komplikasyonlara karşı alfa-amilazı hedef alan selekoksib türevleri. J Inst Sci Technol. 2025; 15:1000-1007.
17. Tahiroglu V, Karagecili H, Aslan K, Gulcin I. Polyphenolic profiling and evaluation of antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-Alzheimer, and antiglaucoma activities of Allium kharputense and Anchusa azurea var. Azurea. Life. 2025; 15:1209.
18. Shahidi F, Ambigaipalan P. Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: antioxidant activity and health effects—a review. J Funct Foods. 2015; 18:820-897.
19. Cetiner B. Pea-based bulgur: a nutrient-rich and high-protein plant-based food product. J Sci Food Agric. 2025; 105:4549-4557.
20. Han H, Baik BK. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of lentils (Lens culinaris), chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.) and soybeans (Glycine max), and their quantitative changes during processing. Int J Food Sci Technol. 2008; 43:1971-1978.
21. Goufo P, Trindade H. Rice antioxidants: phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, tocopherols, tocotrienols, γ-oryzanol, and phytic acid. Food Sci Nutr. 2014; 2:75-104.
22. Tacer Caba Z, Boyacioglu MH, Boyacioglu D. Bioactive healthy components of bulgur. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012; 63:250-256.
23. Multescu M, Culetu A, Susman IE. Screening of the nutritional properties, bioactive components, and antioxidant properties in legumes. Foods. 2024; 13:3528.
24. Xiao J, Kai G, Yamamoto K, Chen X. Advance in dietary polyphenols as α-glucosidase inhibitors: a review on structure–activity relationship aspect. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013; 53:818-836.
25. Podsedek A, Majewska I, Redzynia M, Sosnowska D, Koziołkiewicz M. In vitro inhibitory effect on digestive enzymes and antioxidant potential of commonly consumed fruits. J Agric Food Chem. 2014; 62:4610-4617.
26. Mahmood N. A review of α-amylase inhibitors on weight loss and glycemic control in pathological state such as obesity and diabetes. Comp Clin Path. 2016; 25:1253-1264.
27. Zarei N, De Craene JO, Shekarforoush SS, Nazifi S, Golmakani MT, Giglioli-Guivarc'h N, Eskandari MH. Anti-obesity potential of selected medicinal plants: a focused study on in vitro inhibitory effects on lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. J Ethnopharmacol. 2025; 348:119733.
28. Tadera K, Minami Y, Takamatsu K, Matsuoka T. Inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase by flavonoids. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol. 2006; 52:149-153.
29. Assefa ST, Yang EY, Chae SY, Song M, Lee J, Cho MC, Jang S. Alpha glucosidase inhibitory activities of plants with focus on common vegetables. Plants. 2019; 9:2.
30. Qiu J, Zhu H, Liu P, Wang J, Lu L. Protective effects of dietary polyphenols from black soybean seed coats on islet and renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. J Sci Food Agric. 2018; 98:2350-2359.
31. Coleman CM, Ferreira D. Oligosaccharides and complex carbohydrates: a new paradigm for cranberry bioactivity. Molecules. 2020; 25:881.
32. Papoutsis K, Zhang J, Bowyer MC, Brunton N, Gibney ER, Lyng J. Fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms for the preparation of extracts with α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition properties: a review. Food Chem. 2021; 338:128119.
33. Liu R, Pei Z, Liu D, Zhao X, Mao J, Wang Y, Hu J, Zhou P. Natural inhibitor combinations targeting α-amylase and α-glucosidase: a food-derived strategy for safer type 2 diabetes management. Food Biosci. 2025;107116.
34. Reig-Otero Y, Manes J, Manyes L. Amylase–trypsin inhibitors in wheat and other cereals as potential activators of the effects of nonceliac gluten sensitivity. J Med Food. 2018; 21:207-214.
35. Parikh B, Patel V. Total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity of common Indian pulses and split pulses. J Food Sci Technol. 2018; 55:1499-1507.
36. Ercan P, El SN. Inhibitory effects of chickpea and Tribulus terrestris on lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Food Chem. 2016; 205:163-169.
37. Muzaffar H, Wani IA, Punoo HA. Physicochemical, functional, antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of rice, chickpea and lentil flour grown in Kashmir Valley of India. J Food Meas Charact. 2025; 19:1-13.
38. Talukdar D. In vitro antioxidant potential and type II diabetes related enzyme inhibition properties of traditionally processed legume-based food and medicinal recipes in Indian Himalayas. J Appl Pharm Sci. 2013; 3:026-032.
39. Solanki K, Kansara H, Singh V, Pandya S, Abhyankar K. Germinated cluster bean seeds: enhanced α-amylase inhibition and metabolomic insights for diabetes management. Eur Food Res Technol. 2025; 261:1-12.
40. Tundis R, Loizzo MR, Menichini F. Natural products as α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors and their hypoglycaemic potential in the treatment of diabetes: an update. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2010; 10:315-331.
41. Samtiya M, Aluko RE, Dhewa T. Plant food anti-nutritional factors and their reduction strategies: an overview. Food Prod Process Nutr. 2020; 2:6.