Phytochemical profiling from Dioscorea bulbifera L. bulbils using LC-MS, proximate analysis and antidiabetic activity: in vitro and in silico approaches

The nutritional value and medicinal properties of highly edible Bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera L are still unexplored. This study reported the nutritional and medicinal values by In vitro, and In silico studies along with chemical profiling using LC-MS. The proximate analysis was conducted by the AOAC method. The antioxidant and antidiabetic activities were assessed using DPPH and alpha- alpha-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay. Molecular docking was used to do an In silico examination of the identified molecules, and ADMET analysis of the hit candidate was also performed. The result showed that bulbils of D. bulbifera were found to have a higher percentage of protein (8.83%), fat (0.96%), and fiber (5.40%). It exhibited significant levels of phenolic and flavonoid content 106.93 +/- 0.02 mg GAE/g and 11.51 +/- 0.02 mg QE/g, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction of D. bulbifera showed potent antioxidants with an IC 50 = 13.75 +/- 0.6 mu g/mL. Furthermore, the methanol extract showed more than 50 % inhibition activity with IC 50 values of 26.29 +/- 0.6 mu g/mL and 191.2 +/- 0.7 mu g/mL against alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction showed higher alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase inhibitory activity with an IC 50 of 14.42 +/- 0.4 mu g/mL and 171.5 +/- 0.4 mu g/mL, respectively, compared to the standard acarbose (p < 0.05). Chemical profiling of most bio-active ethyl acetate fraction was done using LC-MS analysis, where eleven compounds were annotated. In conclusion, bulbils of D. bulbifera demonstrate promising anti-diabetic activity through In vitro and In silico studies.