ABSTRACT
Objective To study the inhibitory effects of tea flower extract(TFE) onα-glucosidase and glucose intestinal absor-ption. Methods Three different postprandial hyperglycemia models (2 g/kg glucose, 4 g/kg sucrose, and 6 g/kg starch) were used, with 8 mice in each group. Oral administration of 150 or 300 mg/kg of TFE, 6.25 mg/kg of acarbose, or water was performed on mice 1 day and 30 mins before the oral administration of 2 g/kg glucose, 4 g/kg sucrose, and 6 g/kg starch at 10 ml/kg of body weight. Blood glucose levels were analyzed chronologically to evaluate the effect of TFE. In vitro studies were also performed to study the inhibitory effects of TFE on α-glucosidase and small intestinal mucosa glycosidase. Results Neither TFE nor acarbose had significant influence in glucose-treated mice. However, there was a significant decrease in the postprandial blood glucose 20 min after sucrose administration (P<0.05), and 20 min and 40 min after starch administration (P<0.05). TFE also significantly inhibited the activities ofα-glucosidase of small intestinal mucosa, with 18.8%and 31.1%by 150 and 300 mg/kg TFE. The in vitro IC50 of TFE onα-glucosidase was 1.50 mg/ml. Conclusion TFE could effectively reduce the blood glucose level in hyperglycemic mice. Its mechanism might be related to the inhibitory effects ofα-glucosidase.