A Nutraceutical Combination of Cinnamon, Purple Onion, and Tea Linked with Key Enzymes on Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

\n Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is concomitant with significant morbidity and mortality and its prevalence is accumulative worldwide. The conventional antidiabetic agents are known to mitigate the symptoms of diabetes; however, they may also cause adverse effects. This study explores the efficacy of polyherbal dietary supplement cinnamon, purple onion, and tea on the mediation of postprandial hyperglycemia for in the search of combinations with a maximal response. Materials and methods: A starch solution (3 g/kg Bwt) of oral starch tolerance test (OSTT) and glucose solution (4 g/kg Bwt) of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with and without cinnamon, purple onion, tea extract (15 mg/kg Bwt), and mixture (each 5 mg/kg Bwt, 1:1:1), metformin (14 mg/kg Bwt), or acarbose (50 mg/kg Bwt) was administered to high fat plus high fructose-induced diabetic mice after an overnight fast. Postprandial plasma glucose levels were measured and incremental areas under the response curve were calculated. Results: Compared with acarbose, the mixture of extracts (purple onion, cinnamon, and tea) indicated decreasing blood glucose in OSTT. In OGTT, the mixture of extracts showed greater efficacy for hypoglycemia when compared with metformin. The molecular docking of α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase, and AMPK confirmed the putatively acting molecules from the extracts of purple onion, cinnamon, and tea. Conclusions: Overall, this investigation evidenced a beneficial mediation for the progression of lowering blood glucose with a combinatory extract of cinnamon, dietary onion, and tea, implicating their prospective as nutraceuticals that might ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetes.