Antioxidant and In Vitro Antidiabetic Activity of Methanol Extract of Piper cubeba L .

ObjectiveThe study was carried out to evaluate invitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of methanol extract of medicinal plant Piper cubeba L. MethodsIn vitro antioxidant activity of various concentrations of plant extract (20-100 μg/ml) was carried out by using DPPH free radical scavenging assay. The reduced color intensity was measured by using UV visible spectrophotometer at 517 nm. The ascorbic acid was used as a reference drug. In vitro antidiabetic activity of various concentrations of plant extract was investigated by α-amylase inhibitory assay and glucose uptake in yeast cells assay. ResultsThere was dose dependent percentage inhibition of DPPH free radical scavenging activity. The maximum 79.56% inhibition was observed at 1000 μg/ml and the IC50 value found at 58.75 μg/ml, indicating potent antioxidant action. The maximum 80.59% α-amylase activity inhibition was observed at concentration 250 μg/ml of plant extract. The standard drug acarbose exhibited 86.16% inhibition. Similarly, maximum 65.19% increase in glucose uptake by yeast cell was reported at 250 μg/ml of plant extract. ConclusionMethanol extract of fruits of medicinal plant Piper cubeba exhibited potential antioxidant and antidiabetic activity. This would attribute to presence of bioactive substances polyphenols and flavonoids. KeywordsAntidiabetic; Antioxidants; Amylase; Free radicals; Yeast cells. Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of the paper.