Abstract

The total methanol residue, n-hexane and chloroform extracts from Zingiber zerumbet Linn rhizomes have been evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in an attempt to identify potential active ingredients in natural products. The results showed that the chloroform extract inhibited α-glucosidase more effectively than the positive control acarbose, with an IC50 value of 126.9 µg/mL. Chemical investigation of the chloroform extract led to the isolation of naringenin (1). The compound 1 expressed strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with respective IC50 values of 19.6 µM, which are two-fold and eleven-fold lower than that of acarbose (IC50 214.1 µM). The research demonstrated the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the Zingiber zerumbet Linn rhizome as potential antidiabetic agents.