Abstract
Diabetes management through dietary intervention has gained significant interest, particularly in the use of natural plant-based inhibitors of key enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion. The objective of this study was to assess the inhibitory effects of ten Thai culinary vegetables on α-glucosidase and α-amylase, including Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum), holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), star gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus), galangal (Alpinia galanga), bamboo grass (Tiliacora triandra), Turkey berry (Solanum torvum), cassod tree (Senna siamea), dill (Anethum graveolens L.), noni (Morinda citrifolia), and pearl wattle (Leucaena leucocephala). All vegetables were extracted using deionized water at a 1 : 10 ratio in an ultrasonic bath operating at 350 W and a frequency of 50 Hz for 30 minutes. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the vegetable extracts ranged from 13.42 ± 0.23% to 79.84 ± 0.47%, while the inhibitory activities against α-amylase were relatively modest, ranging from 4.82 ± 3.32% to 27.49 ± 1.67%. Cassod tree exhibited the highest α-glucosidase inhibition with the lowest IC(50) at 126.38 ± 0.98 μg/mL, followed by galangal (203.17 ± 1.05 μg/mL) and holy basil (1,240 ± 20.31 μg/mL), respectively. These results may hold promise for encouraging the consumption of vegetables as a strategy for diabetes management through the targeting of key enzyme inhibition.