Article Antidiabetic Potential of Peanut Oil: Inhibiting α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Using Identified Phytochemicals Through In Vitro and In Silico Studies

BENOUCHENNE Djamila^1,2Hanane Djeghim³Ouided BENSLAMA⁴Huda Alsaeedi⁵David CORNU⁶Mikhael Bechelany⁷Ahmed Barhoum^8*

• ¹Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biotechnologie, Constantine, Algeria
• ²Université Frères Mentouri Constantine 1, Constantine, Constantine, Algeria
• ³National Center of Biotechnology Research (Algeria), Constatine, Algeria
• ⁴University of Oum El Bouaghi, Oum El Bouaghi, Oum El Bouaghi, Algeria
• ⁵College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶UMR5635 Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
• ⁷Gulf University for Science and Technology, Mishref District, Kuwait
• ⁸Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Beni Suef, Egypt

Background: Peanut oil is recognized for its mild flavor, high phytochemical content, medicinal potential, and other health advantages. Objective: This study, for the first time, evaluates the antidiabetic potential of peanut oil, known for its high phytochemical content and medicinal properties. Methods: The oil, collected from the El Oued region of Algeria, was extracted using the Soxhlet technique with n-hexane as the solvent. The obtained oil was subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The antidiabetic effect in vitro was examined by inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The molecular docking was performed using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software to assess the inhibitory potential of 20 identified phytochemical compounds against α-amylase (PDB ID: 2QV4) and α-glucosidase (PDB ID: 5NN8). Results: The oil is showing an inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Twenty fatty acid compounds representing 99.9% of the oil content were classified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis into saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Peanut oil demonstrated significant α-amylase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 228.23 ± 5.68 µg/ml, surpassing the standard inhibitor, acarbose, which had an IC50 of 3650.93 ± 10.70 µg/ml. Conversely, the α-glucosidase inhibition by peanut oil was less pronounced, with an IC50 value exceeding 1000 µg/ml. Acarbose exhibited a much stronger effect with an IC50 of 405.77 ± 34.83 µg/ml. The molecular docking outcomes stated that stearic acid had a binding energy of -7.5729 kcal/mol and formed hydrogen bonds with residues like Gly164, Asn105, and Ala106, along with hydrophobic interactions with His201, Leu162, Tyr62, Leu165, and Trp59 in α-amylase inhibitory while in α-glusosidase inhibitory apt, the data revealed that compounds such as oxiraneoctanoic acid, 3-octyl, exhibited a favorable binding energy of -6.5120 kcal/mol and formed hydrogen bonds with key residues His674 and Asp616. Conclusion: These findings suggest that while peanut oil holds promise as a natural α-amylase inhibitor, its effect on α-glucosidase is relatively modest compared to the synthetic standard. Further research is recommended to explore the potential synergistic effects of peanut oil's components for enhanced enzyme inhibition