Aldose reductase inhibitory potential of different fractions of Houttuynia cordata Thunb

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory activity of different fractions from Houttuynia cordata (H. cordata) which used as a medicinal salad for lowering of blood sugar level. Methods: AR inhibitory activity along with protein content was evaluated in vitro in rat lens. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were also determined in all the fractions. Results: All the four fractions were found to inhibit lens AR activity, but to different extent. From dose response curve (DRC), aqueous fraction (AQ) was found to be the most effective AR inhibitor followed by ethyl acetate (EA), chloroform (CL) and hexane fraction (HEX). The IC50 values of AQ, EA, CL and HEX were calculated to be (64.62±3.90), (90.69±7.50), (134.59±4.90) and (151.58±3.30) μ g/mL respectively. Quercetin was taken as positive control which exhibited AR inhibition with an IC50 value of (3.21±0.60) μ g/mL in a non-competitive manner. Conclusion: These findings indicated that, AQ fraction of H. cordata exhibited significant inhibitory effect on AR in a non-competitive manner, which may be attributed to the presence of high phenolic and flavonoid contents. Thus, the plant H. cordata may act as a promising source in the treatment of secondary complications like cataract associated with diabetes.

Keywords

• Aldose reductase
• Cataract
• Houttuynia cordata
• Rat lens