PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION, PHENOLIC STABILITY, AND INHIBITORY ACTIVITIES AGAINST α-AMYLASE AND α-GLUCOSIDASE OF A MALE Carica papaya L. FLOWER DECOCTION
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical composition, stability of phenolic compounds during frozen storage, and carbohydrate-digesting enzyme inhibitory activities of an aqueous decoction of male Carica papaya L. flowers harvested in Xuan Son Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Qualitative screening showed that the decoction contained many biologically active secondary metabolites, with polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins being the dominant groups of compounds. During storage at −20°C, phenolic compound levels gradually decreased over time but remained relatively stable for the first seven days. After 42 days of storage, flavonoids were the most stable of the three groups. The decoction inhibited both α-amylase (IC₅₀=22.22 mg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀=12.40 mg/mL) in a concentration-dependent manner. The stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase suggests that the decoction may help regulate carbohydrate digestion and postprandial glycemic responses. Although its inhibitory potency did not reach that of acarbose, these findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the use of male papaya flowers as a natural source of phenolic compounds that merits further investigation. Notably, the phenolic composition of the decoction remained largely unchanged during storage at −20°C for up to 7 days.
Keywords
antihyperglycemic activity, male papaya flower, phenolic compounds, α-amylase inhibition, α-glucosidase inhibition
Article Details
References
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Makkar, H. P. (2003). Measurement of total phenolics and tannins using Folin-Ciocalteu method. In Quantification of tannins in tree and shrub foliage: A Laboratory Manual (pp. 49-51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0273-7_3
Marpaung, F., Andika, M., Lubis, Y., & Mutia, M. (2021). The effectiveness test of Papaya (Carrica Papaya L.) flower extract on blood sugar level of the sucrose-induced male mice (Mus musculus L.). Biospecies, 14(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.22437/biospecies.v14i1.11175
Martinez-Gonzalez, A. I., Diaz-Sanchez, A. G., Rosa, L. A., Vargas-Requena, C. L., Bustos-Jaimes, I., & Alvarez-Parrilla, A. E. (2017). Polyphenolic compounds and digestive enzymes: In vitro non-covalent interactions. Molecules, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22040669
Mrazkova, M., Sumczynski, D., & Orsavova, J. (2023). Influence of storage conditions on stability of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity values in nutraceutical mixtures with edible flowers as new dietary supplements. Antioxidants (Basel), 12(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12040962
Naveen, J., & Baskaran, V. (2018). Antidiabetic plant-derived nutraceuticals: a critical review. European journal of nutrition, 57(4), 1275-1299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1552-6
Nga, V. T., Trang, N. T. H., Tuyet, N. T. A., Phung, N. K. P., Duong, N. T. T., & Thu, N. T. H. (2020). Ethanol extract of male Carica papaya flowers demonstrated non-toxic against MCF-7, HEP-G2, HELA, NCI-H460 cancer cell lines. Vietnam Journal of Chemistry, 58(1), 86-91. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/vjch.2019000142
Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016a). Erratum: Flavonoids: an overview - CORRIGENDUM in Figure 1. J Nutr Sci, 14, e11. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2024.73
Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016b). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of Nutritional Science, 5, e47, Article e47. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2016.41
Qaderi, M. M., Martel, A. B., & Strugnell, C. A. (2023). Environmental Factors Regulate Plant Secondary Metabolites. 12(3), 447. https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/3/447
Roy, J. R., Janaki, C. S., Jayaraman, S., Periyasamy, V., Balaji, T., Vijayamalathi, M., & Veeraraghavan, V. P. (2022). Carica papaya reduces muscle insulin resistance via IR/GLUT4 mediated signaling mechanisms in high fat diet and streptozotocin-induced type-2 diabetic rats. Antioxidants, 11(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11102081
Sadeghi, M., Miroliaei, M., Ghanadian, M., & Taslimi, P. (2024). The inhibitory potential of natural compounds on α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the management of type 2 diabetes. Iranian Journal of Chemistry Chemical Engineering, 43(5), 1905-1918. https://www.ijcce.ac.ir/article_709887_051427245a3d30958b45f9e9a6022e77.pdf
Shahidi, F., & Ambigaipalan, P. (2015a). Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: Antioxidant activity and health effects–A review. Journal of functional foods, 18, 820-897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.06.018
Shahidi, F., & Ambigaipalan, P. (2015b). Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: Antioxidant activity and health effects – A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 18, 820-897. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.06.018
Singleton, V. L., Orthofer, R., & Lamuela-Raventós, R. M. (1999). [14] Analysis of total phenols and other oxidation substrates and antioxidants by means of folin-ciocalteu reagent. In Methods Enzymol (Vol. 299, pp. 152-178). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(99)99017-1
Sohretoglu, D., Sari, S., Barut, B., & Ozel, A. (2018). Discovery of potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitor flavonols: Insights into mechanism of action through inhibition kinetics and docking simulations. Bioorg Chem, 79, 257-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.05.010
Srivastava, R., Jaiswal, N., Kharkwal, H., Dubey, N. K., & Srivastava, R. (2025). Phytomedical properties of carica papaya for boosting human immunity against viral infections. Viruses, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020271
Tadera, K., Minami, Y., Takamatsu, K., & Matsuoka, T. (2006). Inhibition of α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase by Flavonoids. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 52(2), 149-153. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.52.149
Ugbogu, E. A., Dike, E. D., Uche, M. E., Etumnu, L. R., Okoro, B. C., Ugbogu, O. C., Adurosakin, O. E., Chinma, C. E., Ohaeri, E., & Iweala, E. J. J. P. R.-M. C. M. (2023). Ethnomedicinal uses, nutritional composition, phytochemistry and potential health benefits of Carica papaya. Pharmacological Research-Modern Chinese Medicine, 7, 100266.
Agada, R., Usman, W. A., Shehu, S., & Thagariki, D. (2020). In vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects of Carica papaya seed on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes. Heliyon, 6(3), e03618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03618
Cao, H., Saroglu, O., Karadag, A., Diaconeasa, Z., Zoccatelli, G., Conte-Junior, C. A., Gonzalez-Aguilar, G. A., Ou, J., Bai, W., Zamarioli, C. M., de Freitas, L. A. P., Shpigelman, A., Campelo, P. H., Capanoglu, E., Hii, C. L., Jafari, S. M., Qi, Y., Liao, P., Wang, M., … Xiao, J. (2021). Available technologies on improving the stability of polyphenols in food processing. Food Frontiers, 2(2), 109-139. https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.65
Chakrabarti, R., Singh, B., Vanchhawng, L., & Thirumurugan, K. (2014). Screening of nine herbal plants for in vitro a-amylase inhibition. Screening, 7(4), 84-89. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265379851_Screening_of_nine_herbal_plants_for_in_vitro_a-amylase_inhibition
Choulitoudi, E., Xristou, M., Tsimogiannis, D., & Oreopoulou, V. (2021). The effect of temperature on the phenolic content and oxidative stability of o/w emulsions enriched with natural extracts from Satureja thymbra. Food Chem, 349, 129206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129206
DiNicolantonio, J. J., Bhutani, J., & O'Keefe, J. H. (2015). Acarbose: safe and effective for lowering postprandial hyperglycaemia and improving cardiovascular outcomes. Open Heart, 2(1), e000327. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2015-000327
Dwivedi, M. K., Sonter, S., Mishra, S., Patel, D. K., & Singh, P. K. (2020). Antioxidant, antibacterial activity, and phytochemical characterization of Carica papaya flowers. Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43088-020-00048-w
Ho, H. T. D. (2005). Nghiên cứu hoạt tính sinh học của cây thuốc Việt Nam với các quy trình thử nghiệm mới [Evaluating the bioactive properties of Vietnamese medicinal plants via innovative experimental procedures]. Collection of reports on fundamental research in Natural Sciences.
Kalita, D., Holm, D. G., LaBarbera, D. V., Petrash, J. M., & Jayanty, S. S. (2018). Inhibition of alpha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, and aldose reductase by potato polyphenolic compounds. PLoS One, 13(1), e0191025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191025
Li, D., Jiang, C., Mei, G., Zhao, Y., Chen, L., Liu, J., Tang, Y., Gao, C., & Yao, P. (2020). Quercetin alleviates ferroptosis of pancreatic beta cells in type 2 diabetes. Nutrients, 12(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102954
Luthra, T., Agarwal, R., Estari, M., Adepally, U., & Sen, S. (2017). A novel library of-arylketones as potential inhibitors of α-glucosidase: Their design, synthesis, in vitro and in vivo studies. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 13246. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13798-y
Magliano, D. J., & Boyko, E. J. (2021). IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10th edition. In IDF Diabetes Atlas (10th ed.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35914061
Mahboubi, M., Kazempour, N., & Boland Nazar, A. R. (2013). Total phenolic, total flavonoids, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of scrophularia striata boiss extracts. Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod, 8(1), 15-19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24624181
Maheshwaran, L., Nadarajah, L., Senadeera, S., Ranaweera, C., Chandana, A., & Pathirana, R. (2024). Phytochemical testing methodologies and principles for preliminary screening/qualitative testing. Asian Plant Research Journal, 12(5), 11-38. https://doi.org/10.9734/aprj/2024/v12i5267
Makkar, H. P. (2003). Measurement of total phenolics and tannins using Folin-Ciocalteu method. In Quantification of tannins in tree and shrub foliage: A Laboratory Manual (pp. 49-51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0273-7_3
Marpaung, F., Andika, M., Lubis, Y., & Mutia, M. (2021). The effectiveness test of Papaya (Carrica Papaya L.) flower extract on blood sugar level of the sucrose-induced male mice (Mus musculus L.). Biospecies, 14(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.22437/biospecies.v14i1.11175
Martinez-Gonzalez, A. I., Diaz-Sanchez, A. G., Rosa, L. A., Vargas-Requena, C. L., Bustos-Jaimes, I., & Alvarez-Parrilla, A. E. (2017). Polyphenolic compounds and digestive enzymes: In vitro non-covalent interactions. Molecules, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22040669
Mrazkova, M., Sumczynski, D., & Orsavova, J. (2023). Influence of storage conditions on stability of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity values in nutraceutical mixtures with edible flowers as new dietary supplements. Antioxidants (Basel), 12(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12040962
Naveen, J., & Baskaran, V. (2018). Antidiabetic plant-derived nutraceuticals: a critical review. European journal of nutrition, 57(4), 1275-1299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1552-6
Nga, V. T., Trang, N. T. H., Tuyet, N. T. A., Phung, N. K. P., Duong, N. T. T., & Thu, N. T. H. (2020). Ethanol extract of male Carica papaya flowers demonstrated non-toxic against MCF-7, HEP-G2, HELA, NCI-H460 cancer cell lines. Vietnam Journal of Chemistry, 58(1), 86-91. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/vjch.2019000142
Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016a). Erratum: Flavonoids: an overview - CORRIGENDUM in Figure 1. J Nutr Sci, 14, e11. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2024.73
Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016b). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of Nutritional Science, 5, e47, Article e47. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2016.41
Qaderi, M. M., Martel, A. B., & Strugnell, C. A. (2023). Environmental Factors Regulate Plant Secondary Metabolites. 12(3), 447. https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/3/447
Roy, J. R., Janaki, C. S., Jayaraman, S., Periyasamy, V., Balaji, T., Vijayamalathi, M., & Veeraraghavan, V. P. (2022). Carica papaya reduces muscle insulin resistance via IR/GLUT4 mediated signaling mechanisms in high fat diet and streptozotocin-induced type-2 diabetic rats. Antioxidants, 11(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11102081
Sadeghi, M., Miroliaei, M., Ghanadian, M., & Taslimi, P. (2024). The inhibitory potential of natural compounds on α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the management of type 2 diabetes. Iranian Journal of Chemistry Chemical Engineering, 43(5), 1905-1918. https://www.ijcce.ac.ir/article_709887_051427245a3d30958b45f9e9a6022e77.pdf
Shahidi, F., & Ambigaipalan, P. (2015a). Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: Antioxidant activity and health effects–A review. Journal of functional foods, 18, 820-897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.06.018
Shahidi, F., & Ambigaipalan, P. (2015b). Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: Antioxidant activity and health effects – A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 18, 820-897. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2015.06.018
Singleton, V. L., Orthofer, R., & Lamuela-Raventós, R. M. (1999). [14] Analysis of total phenols and other oxidation substrates and antioxidants by means of folin-ciocalteu reagent. In Methods Enzymol (Vol. 299, pp. 152-178). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(99)99017-1
Sohretoglu, D., Sari, S., Barut, B., & Ozel, A. (2018). Discovery of potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitor flavonols: Insights into mechanism of action through inhibition kinetics and docking simulations. Bioorg Chem, 79, 257-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.05.010
Srivastava, R., Jaiswal, N., Kharkwal, H., Dubey, N. K., & Srivastava, R. (2025). Phytomedical properties of carica papaya for boosting human immunity against viral infections. Viruses, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020271
Tadera, K., Minami, Y., Takamatsu, K., & Matsuoka, T. (2006). Inhibition of α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase by Flavonoids. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 52(2), 149-153. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.52.149
Ugbogu, E. A., Dike, E. D., Uche, M. E., Etumnu, L. R., Okoro, B. C., Ugbogu, O. C., Adurosakin, O. E., Chinma, C. E., Ohaeri, E., & Iweala, E. J. J. P. R.-M. C. M. (2023). Ethnomedicinal uses, nutritional composition, phytochemistry and potential health benefits of Carica papaya. Pharmacological Research-Modern Chinese Medicine, 7, 100266.