Molecular insights into α-glucosidase inhibition and antiglycation properties affected by the galloyl moiety in (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate

BACKGROUNDDiabetes mellitus poses a substantial threat to public health due to rising morbidity and mortality. & alpha;-Glucosidase is one of the key enzymes affecting diabetes. Herein, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC) were applied to clarify the role of the galloyl moiety of tea polyphenols in the inhibition of glycation and & alpha;-glucosidase activity. The structure-activity relationship of the galloyl moiety in EGCG on & alpha;-glucosidase was investigated in terms of inhibition kinetics, spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and molecular docking. A bovine serum protein-fructose model was employed to determine the effect of the galloyl moiety on glycation. RESULTSThe results indicated that the introduction of a galloyl moiety enhanced the capacity of EGCG to inhibit glycation and & alpha;-glucosidase activity. The IC50 value of EGC is approximately 2400 times higher than that of EGCG. Furthermore, the galloyl moiety in EGCG altered the microenvironment and secondary structure of & alpha;-glucosidase, resulting in a high binding affinity of EGCG to & alpha;-glucosidase. The binding constant of EGCG to & alpha;-glucosidase at 298 K is approximately 28 times higher than that of EGC. CONCLUSIONOverall, the galloyl moiety of EGCG plays a crucial role in inhibiting glycation and & alpha;-glucosidase activity, which helps to enhance the molecular understanding of the structure and function of the polyphenol galloyl moiety in the science of food and agriculture. & COPY; 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.