Abstract
The hydro-alcoholic extract of
Withania coagulans
fruits was investigated for preliminary phytochemical screening and characterized by high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Column chromatography of the hydro-alcoholic extract of
W. coagulans
eluted with four different combinations of ethyl acetate and methanol yielded four fractions (WCF
01
, WCF
02
, WCF
03,
and WCF
04
). One of these fractions, WCF
02
, significantly (
P
< 0.05) inhibited
in vitro
α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity with IC
50
values of 104.71 μg/mL and 70.79 μg/mL, respectively. WCF
02
further reduced blood glucose levels in comparison to control in the starch tolerance test. The extract showed a relative dose-dependent effect. It was observed that none of the extracts could delay the peak blood glucose that was achieved after 60 min of carbohydrate challenge, but these blunted the glycemic peak.