Abstract

                                Basella alba is an edible perennial plant in the family Basellaceae. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent, widely spread in Asia and Africa, and used as a leafy vegetable.Worldwide the number of people with diabetes is increasing every year. Due to the several risk factors inherent to the disease, the treatment of type II diabetes is complicated. Many plants with hypoglycaemic effects can be usedto develop drugs for diabetes mellitus. Decreasing the postprandial hyperglycemia is one of the aspectsof treating type II diabetes mellitus. This is possible by inhibiting certain carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes like α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The objective of the present study was to evaluate in-vitro antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity of the ethanolic extract of Basella alba. The extract showed significant radical scavenging activities like DPPH, ABTS, Super oxide, Nitric oxide and Hydroxyl radical scavenging activities with IC50 of 83.0 µg/mL, 87.5µg/mL, 91.0µg/mL, 96.5µg/mL and 70.0µg/mL. The extract also showed strong α-amylase inhibition with IC50 77.8 mg/mL. These results suggest the possible use of Basella alba in the management of diabetes mellitus.

Key words : Basella alba; Antioxidant; α-Amylase; DPPH; ABTS and Diabetes mellitus