Article antidiabetic potential of peanut oil: inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase using identified phytochemicals through in vitro and in silico studies

BackgroundPeanut oil is recognized for its mild flavor, high phytochemical content, medicinal potential, and other health advantages.ObjectiveThis study, for the first time, evaluates the antidiabetic potential of peanut oil, known for its high phytochemical content and medicinal properties.MethodsThe oil, collected from the El Oued region of Algeria, was extracted using the Soxhlet technique with n-hexane as the solvent. The obtained oil was subjected to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The antidiabetic effect in vitro was examined by inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The molecular docking was performed using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software to assess the inhibitory potential of 20 identified phytochemical compounds against α-amylase (PDB ID: 2QV4) and α-glucosidase (PDB ID: 5NN8).ResultsThe oil is showing an inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Twenty fatty acid compounds representing 99.9% of the oil content were classified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis into saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Peanut oil demonstrated significant α-amylase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 228.23 ± 5.68 μg/mL, surpassing the standard inhibitor, acarbose, which had an IC50 of 3650.93 ± 10.70 μg/mL. Conversely, the α-glucosidase inhibition by peanut oil was less pronounced, with an IC50 value exceeding 1,000 μg/mL. Acarbose exhibited a much stronger effect with an IC50 of 405.77 ± 34.83 μg/mL. The molecular docking outcomes stated that stearic acid had a binding energy of −7.5729 kcal/mol and formed hydrogen bonds with residues like Gly164, Asn105, and Ala106, along with hydrophobic interactions with His201, Leu162, Tyr62, Leu165, and Trp59 in α-amylase inhibitory while in α-glusosidase inhibitory apt, the data revealed that compounds such as oxiraneoctanoic acid, 3-octyl, exhibited a favorable binding energy of −6.5120 kcal/mol and formed hydrogen bonds with key residues His674 and Asp616.ConclusionThese findings suggest that while peanut oil holds promise as a natural α-amylase inhibitor, its effect on α-glucosidase is relatively modest compared to the synthetic standard. Further research is recommended to explore the potential synergistic effects of peanut oil’s components for enhanced enzyme inhibition.