Alpha amylase inhibitory activity of different extract of Terminalia arjuna bark

In India, medicinal plants are used by all sections of people either directly as folk remedies or in different indigenous system of medicine. The present study was based on the use of ethnomedicinal plant bark to evaluate the alpha amylase inhibitory activity. Bark of Terminalia arjuna was collected and air dried and soxhlet extracted by using standard methods for flavonoid, alkaloid, steroid and different solvents. These extracts obtained were then tested for the alpha amylase inhibitory activity using the chromogenic DNSA method and starch iodine min triplicates. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM (standard error of the mean). Data were analyzed by oneway analysis of variance and P values were considered significant at P<0.05. Among the tested extracts, methanol, free flavonoids and bound flavonoids extract exhibited significant alpha amylase inhibitory activity. Results of the present study revealed that methanol extracts of T. arjuna bark showed great antidiabetic potential and may be exploited for future antidiabetic drugs.