Inhibition of Key Enzymes Linked to Obesity and Cytotoxic Activities of Whole Plant Extracts of <i>Vernonia mesplilfolia</i> Less

• Main Authors: Jeremiah Oshiomame Unuofin, Gloria Aderonke Otunola, Anthony Jide Afolayan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
• Series: Processes
• Subjects: <i>vernonia mespilifolia</i>; α-amylase; α-glucosidase; lipase; hela; hoechst 33342/pi staining
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/7/11/841

The whole plant of <i>Vernonia mespilifolia</i> is widely used as a traditional remedy for obesity in South Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity and cytotoxic effects of <i>Vernonia mespilifolia</i> extracts <i>in vitro</i>. The &#945;-amylase, &#945;-glucosidase, and lipase inhibitory activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of <i>Vernonia mespilifolia</i> were investigated, while the cytotoxic effects of these extracts were analyzed using Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide (PI) dual staining on a human cervical HeLa cell line. The results showed that the LC₅₀ (the concentration of a material will kill 50% of test organisms) values of aqueous and ethanol extracts of <i>Vernonia mespilifolia</i> were &gt;200 and 149 &#181;g/mL, respectively, to HeLa cells. Additionally, the ethanol extract exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on the pancreatic lipase (Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) = 331.16 &#181;g/mL) and on &#945;-amylase (IC₅₀ = 781.72 &#181;g/mL), while the aqueous extract has the strongest &#945;-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 450.88 &#181;g/mL). Our results suggest that <i>Vernonia mespilifolia</i>&#8217;s acclaimed anti-obesity effects could be ascribed to its ability to inhibit both carbohydrate and fat digesting enzymes.