IPB University Students Creates Antidiabetic Supplement from Okra
Okra is a vegetable rich in fiber and pectin. People often use this plant to ease the digestion system. In pharmacology, okra plant is known to be used as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, antidiarrhea, antiinflammation, and anticancer agent. It is also used as a drug for gonorrhea and to lower cholesterol level. This is because okra fruit has bioactive substance which is good for health. Okra extract functions as an antidiabetic agent.
However, there hasn’t been any biomolecular study about antidiabetic activity from okra water extract in-vitro using alpha-glucosidase enzyme, alpha-amylase enzyme, as well as DPP-IV enzyme in-silico.
This inspires IPB University students led by Janson Calvindi, with Alicia Nathalia Angel Ganur and Ferdinans as the team members, to create okra antidiabetic supplement.
Through Student Creativity Program in Exact Sciences (PKM-PE) 2019 with the title ‘Sokrates: Okra Supplement as Antidiabetic Drug through In-silico and In-vitro Molecular Studies’, they tested antidiabetic activity from okra water extract.
This study is conducted under the guidance of Dr. Waras Nurcholis from Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), IPB University.
This study aims to test antidiabetic activity from okra water through in-silico and in-vitro molecular study. The procedure bgins from extraction process, where okra sample is washed and dried for one day, then ground into simplicia. Afterwards, the water is extracted, followed by molecular docking with Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) enzyme. Finally, the result is analyzed with alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzyme inhibitions.
The benefit from this study is to give information about antidiabetic activity from okra water extract (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench).
According to Janson, as the leader of the PKM-PE group, okra has good antidiabetic substances. “This research studies and analyzes okra’s antidiabetic benefits from in-silico biomolecular study with DPP4 enzyme inhibition and in-vitro with alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase inhibition test. Moreover, the result of this study can be applied by making a drug or functional food,” said Janson. From the study, okra water extract is produced, which can be used as an antidiabetic drug, where the antidiabetic activity from green-colored okra is higher than Zahira okra, which is red in color. The quercetin and tannin contents from okra has an interaction with DPP4 enzyme to prevent diabetes. (Ard)
