Antidiabetic effect of butterfly pea flower

Plants are good sources of compounds which have been associated with health benefits, including antidiabetic properties. Research has shown that plant polyphenols such as anthocyanins possess amylase and/or glucosidase inhibition activities and they may be used as supplementary treatments for improving glycemic control in diabetic patients. In this unfunded project, the inhibitory effect of butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) - a tropical plant from the Leguminosae family with a blue flower - against starch digestive enzymes during simulated digestion is investigated. The efficacy of the inhibition by the butterfly pea flower extract is quantified through a series of in vitro starch digestion experiments, and the interaction of the extract with enzyme amylase is monitored using a time-resolved fluorescence technique.

Primary raw data were collected from laboratory experiments (simulated starch digestion, basic characterisation of the flower extract) or generated by analytical instrument (time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy), while the secondary data, such as percentage inhibition, are calculated from the lab raw data.