Analysis and Pharmacophore Study of Nypa fruticans Wurmb Sap for αamylase Inhibtor and Antioxidant Properties

• Main Author: Ahmad Hafizi, Sukairi
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2020
• Subjects: QD Chemistry; QK Botany
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32150/1/Ahmad%20Hafizi%20bin%20Sukairi%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32150/

Nypa fruticans Wurmb sap is a juice produced at the fruit stalks or called as inflorescence that used as beverages and additive for food due to its sweetness. Traditionally, local people consume the sap of this plant for alternative sweetener to replace table sugar to prevent diabetes but scientifically there is lack of data about this information. The major part of this study is to analyse the physicochemical properties of this sap. Besides that, antidiabetic, antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities of nipa sap were also studied. In addition, new technology of CADD method using pharmacophore modelling (ligandscout 4.1) also implemented in this experiment. All samples were prepared by removing water content using rotary evaporator then extracted using water, methanol and ethanol. Nipa palm vinegar (NPV) was produced as the sap was left at room temperature for 30 days with physical observation. The four samples of water extract (WE), methanol extract (ME), ethanol extract (EE) and NPV were tested for phytochemical screening and showed positive result for WE (Phenol, flavonoid and saponin), ME (phenol, flavonoid, terpenoids and tannin), EE (phenol, flavonoid, terpenoids and tannin) and NPV (phenol, flavonoid, terpenoids, and tannin). The antidiabetic properties of all four extracts of the sap were determined by inhibition test of αamylase and the result was compared to the synthetic drug which is acarbose. All the samples except WE showed potent result for antidiabetic which are ME (IC50 99.21), EE (IC50 93.94), and NPV (IC50 90.91) compared to the acarbose (IC50 44.38). Meanwhile, the antioxidant properties of the samples were determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. The samples also showed a mild result which is WE (EC50 242.8), ME (EC50 463.7), EE (EC50 227.1) and NPV (EC50 228.3) compared to ascorbic acid (EC50 3.482). Besides that, all sample extracts showed very low toxicity when tested against iv Artemia salina. Furthermore, in pharmacophore analysis which is ligand-based drug design, methionine shows the highest fit-value (52.62) compared to other chemical components. From the structure-based drug design, methionine was bound to the active site of α-amylase (PNB code: 1KGW; DOI: 10.2210/pdb1KGW/pdb) in order to prevent further hydrolysis of sugar. In conclusion, the sap contains useful phytochemicals that helps in antidiabetic and antioxidant activities and the biological assay performed was supported by pharmacophore analysis data. Keywords: Nypa fruticans Wurmb, phytochemical screening, CADD, α-amylase inhibtor, fit-value, antioxidant.