Anthocyanin Content, Urease and α-glucosidase Inhibitory Activity of Black Olea europea Fruits

Abstract

Anthocyanins are natural water-soluble pigments. They belong to the flavonoids, which is a subclass of the polyphenol compounds. They are commonly red, purple, blue, or black colors in certain types of fruits and vegetables. Besides their well-known antioxidant properties, they also possess enzymatic inhibitory actions that prevent chronic diseases. This research was done to determine the anthocyanin content of black olive “Olea europea” and to estimate its inhibitory activity of urease and α-glucosidase enzymes. For determining anthocyanin content, the pH differential method was applied by using Ultraviolet (UV)-spectrophotometer and expressed the result as cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents. The Anthocyanin extract was tested for enzyme inhibition action against urease and α-glucosidase enzymes.  The anthocyanin concentration in Olea europea was 50.1 mg/100g. There was no inhibition action against α-glucosidase as it was below the acceptable range whereas the inhibition activity of urease enzyme was good and the IC50 was 87 µg/ml. Olea europea contains a considerable amount of anthocyanins and can be an excellent source for inhibition of urease enzyme.