Exploring the anti-diabetic potential of Antidesma alexiteria L.: In vitro GLUT-4 expression and molecular docking studies
Abstract
GLUT-4, an insulin-regulated glucose transporter primarily located in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, plays a crucial role in the insulin-stimulated uptake of glucose uptake. Impaired GLUT-4 transcription and translocation lead to insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Hence, this study investigates the role of bioactive compounds from plant sources using gene-level and in-silico interaction studies. In the present investigation, in-silico and in-vitro gene expression analysis of the GLUT-4 gene with acetone bark extract of A. alexiteria were conducted. GLUT-4 gene expression was analysed using 3T3-L1 adipose cells and insulin as standard. The results demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in GLUT-4 expression, with the highest expression observed at a 100μg/ml concentration. According to molecular docking research, the compound juziphine interacted with the catalytic residues Glu177 and Gly400 of the GLUT-4 protein, satisfying ADMET properties. The stability of protein-ligand complex was further validated by molecular dynamics simulations. The study suggested that the extract has insulin-mimetic properties, enhancing GLUT-4 expression, and that juziphine could serve as a promising anti-diabetic agent.
Keywords:
Antidesma alexiteria, GLUT-4, In-silico analysis, anti-diabetic effectDOI
https://doi.org/10.25004/IJPSDR.2025.170308References
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