Inhibitory of Lawsonia inermis leaves extract on pancreatic enzymes: effect of drying temperature

Pancreatic lipase is the enzyme responsible for the digestion and absorption of triglycerides. It is one of the most widely studied methods used to determine the potential activity of natural products to inhibit the absorption of dietary fats. Decreasing the intake of energy from dietary fat by inhibiting this enzyme can be excellent strategy for preventing and treating obesity. The pancreatic lipase inhibition activity of L. inermis or famously known as Henna was evaluated in vitro. This research aimed to discover the potential of L. inermis crude extract as a new and safe alternative lipase inhibitor to treat obesity by utilizes the natural sources, instead of using chemical drugs. The phenolic (gallic acid) and flavonoid (quercetin) compound in this plant are expected to promote inhibitory activity towards pancreatic lipase enzyme. The part of this plant selected was leaves. The extraction of leaves with distilled water as solvent were analyzed for phytochemical compounds through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Total Flavonoid Content (TPC), Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and spectrophotometer for pancreatic lipase inhibition analysis. FTIR analysis of the extracts of L. inermis revealed the presence of hydroxyl functional group in leaves extracts. This validate the presence of phenolic compounds in the leaves extract for pancreatic lipase inhibition. The highest quantity TPC and TFC value were 93.24 mg of GAE/g of extract and 301.85 mg of QE/g of extract respectively at 60°C of drying temperature. The potential role of plant which is L. inermis that have been investigated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. It was found that the highest percentage inhibition at 60°C of drying temperature in the 10 mg/mL of the extract. These results suggest that the content of gallic acid and quercetin in the samples could be as antiobesity agent.