In vitro studies to assess the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and insulin secretion effect of isorhamnetin 3-o-glucoside and quercetin 3-o-glucoside isolated from Salicornia herbacea

Abstract

In this study, we examined the effect of ethanolic extract of Salicornia herbacea (ESH), isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside (I3G), quercetin 3-O-glucoside (Q3G), quercetin, and isorhamnetin on α-glucosidase activity and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in insulin-secreting rat insulinoma (INS-1) cells. A portion of the ethyl acetate fraction of ESH was chromatographed on a silica gel by a gradient elution with chloroform and methanol to provide Q3G and I3G. ESH, Q3G, and quercetin inhibited α-glucosidase activity, and quercetin (IC50 value was 29.47 ± 3.36 µM) inhibited the activity more effectively than Q3G. We further demonstrated that ESH, Q3G, quercetin, I3G, and isorhamnetin promote GSIS in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells without inducing cytotoxicity. Among them, I3G was the most effective in enhancing GSIS. I3G enhanced the phosphorylation of total extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and activated pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), which are associated with insulin secretion and β-cell function. As components of ESH, Q3G has the potential to regulate blood glucose by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity, and I3G enhances the insulin secretion, but its bioavailability should be considered in determining biological importance. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.