Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical, In Vitro and In Silico Antidiabetic Evaluation of Leaves Extract of Turnera Ulmifolia

Abstract

Turnera ulmifolia belongs to the family Passifloraceae which is a shrubby or herbaceous perennial with aromatic and thick rough foliage. It has been widely naturalised in tropical and subtropical regions where it grows as a weed. It is native to Mexico, West indies, Argentina. Objective: The current research has been done to scrutinize the pharmacognostical, preliminary phytochemical screening, in vitro and in silico antidiabetic property of ethyl acetate extract of T. ulmifolia leaves. Materials and methods: Ethyl acetate extract was prepared from the leaves by subjecting it to hot percolation method by using Soxhlet apparatus. Alpha amylase inhibition assay was used to assess the antidiabetic activity invitro and insilico after phytochemical analysis identified the different secondary metabolites. Results: Phytochemical screening reveals the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins and phlobatannins. The ethyl acetate extract of T. ulmifolia leaves possessed (97.29%) significant antidiabetic potential, it will help with diabetes mellitus therapy. Molecular docking indicated that Toosendanin and Pyranthene interacted with 2QMJ with a binding affinity of -10.3 kcal/mol, which was comparable to that of Acarbose at -4.9 kcal/mol. Conclusion: This investigation has proved way for the development of an antidiabetic drug from natural source. Further, isolation of active constituent and in vivo studies can be carried out to validate the antidiabetic property.