Isolation and Characterization of an Insulin‐Like Protein From Moringa Oleifera and Estimation of Its Antidiabetic Potential

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is used all over the world as an herbal cure for a myriad of diseases. The current research focuses on the extraction of proteins from Moringa oleifera leaves, estimating their total protein content, detecting an insulin‐like protein, and evaluating its hypoglycemic effect. With the help of a Tris‐HCl buffer solution, the leaf protein extract is obtained through solvent extraction, which is subjected afterward to filtration, centrifugation, and dialysis to provide the purified supernatant and pellet. A total protein content of 8.0 ± 0.25 g/dL in both fractions is revealed by the serum albumin assay. A visible precipitation with ZnCl₂ confirms the presence of an insulin‐like protein. Alpha‐amylase and alpha‐glucosidase enzyme assays are performed to test their hypoglycemic properties. Notably, the protein extract displays strong inhibition against α‐amylase, having percentage inhibition values of 75.48 and 82.93% and relevant IC₅₀ values of 0.6 and 17.6 µM for supernatant and pellet, respectively. However, α‐glucosidase inhibition is modest, with 11.1 and 14.1% for supernatant and pellet, respectively. These findings suggest that the insulin‐like protein within the Moringa oleifera leaf protein extract can contribute to its hypoglycemic effect. This study paves the way for further exploration of this protein's potential, possibly leading to novel drug development for managing diabetes mellitus.