GLUT-2 mediated glucose uptake analysis of Duranta repens: In-silico and In-vitro approach

Background Type-2 diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance, a relative impairment in insulin secretion, and a certain degree of genetic predisposition. The rapid rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus around the world has assisted in the development of new pharmacologically active compounds. The current study was aimed to investigate and validate the anti-diabetic activity of wild-grown plant Duranta repens L. Material and methods In-silico molecular docking via AutoDock tools 4.2 and in-vitro glucose uptake assay using yeast cells was performed to investigate the anti-diabetic property of plant Duranta repens. Further, mRNA-based gene ontology enrichment analysis was performed to predict the imitated ontology by the bio-actives from Duranta repens. Results The in-silico study results reveal that among the 9 active phytoconstituents docked against GLUT-2 protein, alpha-onocerin possessed the highest binding affinity of -10.23 kcal/mol with no predicted adverse effects and also complies with Lipinski's rule of five. Also, in-vitro studies reflected in a 5 mM glucose solution, hydro-alcoholic extract of Duranta repens at different concentrations enhanced glucose uptake in yeast cells. Conclusion Duranta repens extract enhanced the glucose uptake in yeast cells which may be due to the presence of alpha-onocerin; possessed the better interaction. Also, no adverse effects were predicted for alpha-onocerin. Thus, it can be speculated that Duranta repens may possess anti-diabetic activity which may be due to alpha-onocerin and other related bioactives; needs to be further confirmed via experimental studies.