Study of the inhibitory effect of aqueous extract of thyme leaf powder on alpha-amylase enzyme produced by insect larvae (Trogoderma granarium)

Abstract

The study included evaluating the effectiveness of aqueous extract of Thyme leaf powder on the inhibition of the alpha-amylase enzyme produced by insect larvae (Trogoderma granarium), as well as studying the most important active compounds to know their biological effect on the enzyme by using HPLC technology. Optimum conditions of temperature and pH were determined to measure the inhibitor activity and stability toward the enzyme. The results of HPLC cleared that the thyme aqueous extract had a high level of tannin, 9 micrograms/ml. The chemical tests for this study indicated that thyme leaves contain saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, resins and alkaloids. The results showed that the aqueous lyophilization process gave the best extraction rate of 68% and also preserved the active compounds without heat. It was noted from the study results that the best inhibition of the enzyme was when using a concentration of 10%, which means that the higher the concentration of the inhibitor is, the higher its effectiveness. By studying the various factors, we find that the best temperature for inhibition is 30 °C. As for PH, it was at pH = 7. It has been concluded in this study that the possibility of using the extract of thyme to inhibit the alpha-amylase enzyme is produced by Insect larvae (Trogoderma granarium) as a paradigm. Keywords: a-amylase, Trogoderma granarium, thyme, lyophilization, HPLC