Red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) contain bioactive compounds that are known to exhibit antidiabetic effects via inhibition of α-glucosidase. However, information on the nonpolar components that exhibit antidiabetic activity is limited. Here, we report the isolation and structure determination of components with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, which were obtained from the hexane extract of red kidney beans. Triacylglycerols (TAGs) were identified as the major components exhibiting inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase. The chemical structure of TAGs was determined by a combination of GC-MS and UPLC-MS/MS. The primary TAGs identified were LnLnLn (trilinolenin) and LnLLn (1,3-dilinolenoyl-2-linoleoyl glycerol). The major fatty acids present in these TAGs were α-linolenic acid (ω-3) and linoleic acid (ω-6). These TAGs were also found to inhibit the α-glucosidase activity in a similar fashion as acarbose. These results suggest that TAGs have potency as antidiabetics and support the potential suitability of red kidney beans for diabetes treatment.
Keywords: Red kidney beans; antidiabetic; triacylglycerol; α-glucosidase inhibition.