Abstract

IN SILICO AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF ANTIDIABETIC AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF SECONDARY METABOLITES FROM AEGLE MARMELOS

*Paras Pradeep Ghule, Nikita Nitin Gaikwad, Divya Vijay Ghadge, Ravindra Y. Patil, Devyani Kirve

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels due to impaired insulin secretion or insulin resistance. Oxidative stress is one of the major factors responsible for diabetic complications such as neuropathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular disorders. Medicinal plants rich in phytoconstituents are widely explored as safer alternatives to synthetic drugs. Aegle marmelos (Bael) is an important medicinal plant traditionally used in Ayurveda for the treatment of diabetes and other disorders. The present study was aimed at evaluating the antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of secondary metabolites from Aegle marmelos Linn. through in silico and pharmacological approaches. Molecular docking studies were performed using selected phytoconstituents such as quercetin, rutin, aegeline, against diabetic target proteins including DPP-4, α-glucosidase, α-amylase. The docking analysis revealed that rutin showed the highest binding affinity against α-glucosidase and DPP-4, indicating strong inhibitory activity. The leaves of Aegle marmelos were collected, shade dried, powdered, and extracted using Soxhlet extraction. Preliminary phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and cardiac glycosides. In vitro antidiabetic activity was evaluated by α-amylase inhibitory assay, while antioxidant activity was determined using FRAP assay. The extract demonstrated concentration-dependent antidiabetic and moderate antioxidant activity compared with standard drugs. The study concludes that Aegle marmelos Linn. possesses promising antidiabetic and antioxidant properties due to the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents. These findings support the traditional use of the plant and suggest its potential for the development of herbal therapeutic agents for diabetes management.

Keywords: Aegle marmelos Linn, Diabetes mellitus, Antioxidant activity, Molecular docking, α-amylase inhibition, Phytochemicals, Rutin, Quercetin, In vitro evaluation, Medicinal plants.