This research is focused on the evaluation of a-glucosidase inhibitors from eight Myanmar
traditional medicinal plants such as Ammomum xanthoides Wall., Commelina communis Linn.,
Crataeva religiosa Forst., Eupatorium odoratum Linn., Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.,
Momordica charantia Linn., Spirulina and Syzygium grande (WI) Walp.. All of these medicinal
plants have been reported to possess the antidiabetic potential. In the present work, watery and
ethanolic extracts, and some isolated compounds such as lupeol, lupeol acetate, friedelin, betulinic
acid, gallic acid, stigmasterol, taraxasterol, B-sitosterol-B-D-glucoside, stearic acid, B-sitosterol,
vitamin C, charatin and A. xanthoides essential oil were used to investigate their inhibitory effect on a-
glucosidase enzyme activity. All of the selected medicinal plant extracts (IC50 = 0.14 ~ 2.07 µg/ml) as
well as the isolated compounds (IC50 = 0.47 ~ 1.91 µg/ml) were found to show the a-glucosidase
inhibitory activity. These values were found to be comparable with Voglibose (IC50 = 0.32 µg/ml),
which was used as a reference in this study. Therefore these plants may be used as sources of natural
a-glucosidase inhibitors in control or management of the postprandial hyperglycemia, Type 2 diabetes