<i>In vitro</i> anti-hyperglycaemic effect of glucocapparin isolated from the seeds of <i>Boscia senegalensis</i> (Pers.) Lam. ex Poiret

Abstract

Glucocapparin (I) used in this study was isolated from the seeds of Boscia senegalensis (family Capparidaceae). The structure of (I) was determined on the basis of an extensive analysis of the spectroscopic data. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay of (I) showed a marked significant cytotoxic activity with LC₅₀ = 16.482 μg/ml. Compound (I) reduced the liberation of glucose from the liver of rabbits. The active concentration was 30 mg/ml showing that the in vitro anti-hyperglycaemic effect shown could be related to the traditional use of B. senegalensis seeds in Chad against type 2 diabetes.

Key words: Boscia senegalensis, glucocapparin, liver glucose inhibition, cytotoxicity.