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    Exploring Fagonia cretica and Berberis lycium as α-Amylase Inhibitors: Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Diabetes Mellitus Investigated through in vitro and in silico Approaches

    Yan-Kun Chen1,2, Imtiaz Ahmad3, Noor Rahman3, Shafiullah Shafiullah4, Haroon Khan5, Luca Rastrelli6, Said Alam7, Yousef A. Bin Jardan8, Mohammed Bourhia9★, Changan Jiang1,2★★ Corresponding author

    1. 1Nanomedical Technology Research Center, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
    2. 2Precision Medicine R&D Center, Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China.
    3. 3Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    4. 4Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    5. 5Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Superior University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    6. 6Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, SA, Italy.
    7. 7Department of Biochemistry, Hazara University, Mansehra, KP, Pakistan.
    8. 8Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    9. 9Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biotechnology and Natural Resources Valorization, Faculty of Sciences of Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Souss-Massa-Draa, Morocco.

    CORRESPONDENCE

    Mohammed Bourhia

    Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biotechnology and Natural Resources Valorization, Faculty of Sciences of Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Souss-Massa-Draa, Morocco.

    m.bourhia@uiz.ac.ma

    Received: 13-02-2024; Accepted: 18-07-2024.

    Volume 21, Issue 2 · pp. 673–683 · PUBLISHED 2025 · DOI: 10.1177/09731296241286281

    View on Pharmacogn. Mag. original site ↗

    ABSTRACT

    Background: Growing diabetes prevalence prompts investigation into plant-derived compounds’ potential to inhibit α-amylase, offering novel therapeutic avenues for treating diabetes mellitus (DM). Objectives: In the current study, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Fagonia cretica and Berberis lycium were evaluated against α-amylase. Materials and Methods: The inhibitory activity of ethanolic and methanolic extracts was analyzed based on their IC50 values. An in vitro activity of α-amylase inhibition was performed, followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of selected compounds. Results: Results indicated that F. cretica and B. lycium extracts have strong inhibitory effects against α α-amylase. In ethanolic and methanolic extracts, the methanolic B. lycium extract was the most potent with an IC50 value of 2.10 µg/mL; the ethanolic B. lycium, ethanolic, and methanolic F. cretica extracts also showed significant anti-α-amylase effects with IC50 values of 3.88, 4.09, and 7.26 µg/mL, respectively. Further, a total of 36 phytochemicals were docked against the α-amylase enzyme to explore the binding mode of these phytochemicals. Docking results confirmed that most of the phytochemicals accommodate well in the active site of α-amylase and made strong interactions compared to the standard drug acarbose. Also, the MD simulation results confirmed that both phytochemicals revealed greater stability than the standard acarbose. Conclusion: Based on these results, we concluded that the extract showed good effectiveness and further in vivo study is needed to manage DM.

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      Chen, Y., Ahmad, I., Rahman, N., Shafiullah, S., Khan, H., Rastrelli, L., Alam, S., Jardan, Y. A. B., Bourhia, M., & Jiang, C. (2025). Exploring Fagonia cretica and Berberis lycium as α-Amylase Inhibitors: Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Diabetes Mellitus Investigated through in vitro and in silico Approaches. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 21(2), 673–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731296241286281