α-Glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition study and in silico analysis of Mimosa pudica L. of Nepalese origin

Background: Diabetes has become a considerably more frequent condition and has increased alarmingly in recent years, possibly due to the adoption of modern lifestyle and food habits. The two prominent features of diabetes mellitus are high blood glucose and insulin deficiency, leading to severe consequences. Developing next-generation anti-diabetic medicines with fewer side effects has been a major focus in this situation. Objective: This research aimed to investigate the total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant, antibacterial, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibition activity, as well as in silico analysis of Mimosa pudica L. Methods: The inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase was performed using CNPG3 and PNPG, respectively. Antioxidant activity was estimated using DPPH free radical scavenging assay. The well diffusion method was used for the antibacterial. Using folin- ciocalteu’s reagent, the total phenolic content was determined. The total flavonoid content was determined using the aluminium trichloride method. In addition, molecular docking was performed using autodock vina. Results: Inhibition of α-glucosidase (IC50 = 1.059±0.14μg/mL) was found to be more significant than α-amylase (IC50 = 164.9±0.95μg/mL). The plant was also found to have antioxidant activity (IC50 = 8.207±0.23µg/mL), as well as antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ZOI = 13mm) and Bacillus subtilis (ZOI = 10mm). Similarly, the total phenolic and flavonoid content was found to be 177.93±1.8 mg GAE/g, and 19.747±6.11 mg QE/g, respectively. In addition, compounds (stigmasterol, quercetin, and avicularin) isolated from M. pudica showed perfect binding to the enzyme’s active site. Conclusion: Mimosa pudica of Nepalese origin possess potent inhibition against digestive enzymes. Therefore, M. pudica can be used as an alternative therapeutic source to combat the global threat of diabetes.