Although considered an abundant source of agricultural by-products, avocado (Persea americana Mill.) seed, with several biological activities and bioactive components, might become a promising resource for phytopharmaceutical development. In this study, through bioassay-guided isolation of the main α-glucosidase inhibitors in avocado seed, we discovered the major α-glucosidase inhibitor to be avocado seed oligomeric proanthocyanidin complex (ASOPC). Thiolysis and UPLC-DAD-HRESIMS showed the presence of A- and B-type procyanidins, and B-type propelargonidin with (epi)afzelechin as extension unit. Mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of ASOPC was calculated as 7.3 ± 1. Furthermore, ASOPC appeared to be a strong, reversible, competitive inhibitor of α-glucosidase, with IC50 value of 0.1 µg/mL, which was significantly lower than Acarbose (IC50 = 75.6 µg/mL), indicated that ASOPC is a potential natural α-glucosidase inhibitor. These findings would contribute to the direction of utilizing avocado seed bioactive components with the possibility to be used as natural anti-diabetic agents.
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