A series of cinnamic acid derivatives and their inhibitory activity on intestinal α-glucosidase

Inhibition of alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase delays the digestion of starch and disaccharides to absorbable monosaccharides, resulting in a reduction of postprandial hyperglycemia. Finding effective mammalian alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from natural sources can be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus. We investigated the inhibitory activity of cinnamic acid derivatives against rat intestinal alpha-glucosidase and porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase in vitro. Among 11 cinnamic acid derivatives, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and isoferulic acid were the most potent inhibitors against intestinal maltase with IC(50) values of 0.74 +/- 0.01, 0.79 +/- 0.04, and 0.76 +/- 0.03 mM, respectively, whereas ferulic acid (IC(50) = 0.45 +/- 0.01 mM) and isoferulic acid (IC(50) = 0.45 +/- 0.01 mM) were effective intestinal sucrase inhibitors. However, all cinnamic acid derivatives were found to be inactive in pancreatic alpha-amylase inhibition. Kinetic analysis revealed that intestinal maltase was inhibited by caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and isoferulic acid in a mixed-inhibition manner. In addition, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid inhibited intestinal sucrase in a mixed type manner, whereas caffeic acid was a non-competitive inhibitor. The combination of isoferulic acid and acarbose showed an additive inhibition on intestinal sucrase. This study could provide a new insight into naturally occurring intestinal alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that could be useful for treatment of diabetes and its complications.