2026/01/01 by Aziz Zouhri, Naoual El Menyiy, Yahya El-Mernissi +12 · 1 voice
Medicine · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Natural Antidiabetic Agents Studies #Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities #Botanical Studies and Applications
paper · doi:10.1515/chem-2025-0256
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/18
Abstract Cytisus villosus and Cistus laurifolius , traditionally used in Mediterranean herbal medicine for metabolic disorders, remain insufficiently characterized for their antidiabetic activity. This study investigated polyphenol-rich aqueous extracts using integrated in vitro , in vivo , and in silico approaches. HPLC analysis, based on comparison with authentic standards, identified gallic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, p -coumaric acid, rutin, quercetin, and catechin in both extracts; syringic acid was detected only in C. villosus , whereas salicylic acid was specific to C. laurifolius . In pancreatic α -amylase inhibition assays, IC 50 values were 125.73 ± 3.23 μg/mL and 113.10 ± 2.14 μg/mL, respectively. In alloxan-induced diabetic rats ( n = 6 per group), daily oral administration of 500 mg/kg for 28 days significantly reduced fasting blood glucose from day 7 onward ( P < 0.05), with final decreases of 47.07 % and 50.95 %, compared to 41.75 % in the glibenclamide group. Improvements in lipid profile and reductions in ASAT, ALAT, creatinine, and urea were observed. No acute toxicity was detected at 2000 mg/kg. Molecular docking supported α -amylase inhibition as a contributing mechanism. These findings indicate significant antidiabetic potential of both extracts and support further pharmacological investigation.