Introduction: Plant products are a rich source of pharmacologically active molecules and are considered an
important and attractive field of scientific investigation for the development of new drugs. The present study
aimed to assess the α-amylase, α-glucosidase and lipase enzymes inhibitory activities and the cytotoxic effects of
Carlina curetum four solvents fractions in order to better understand the anti-obesity, hypoglycemic and anticancer
effects of this plant.
Methods: Several qualitative and quantitative phytochemical tests were performed on Carlina curetum solvent
fractions utilizing standard phytochemical procedures, followed by an investigation into their ability to inhibit
the enzymes α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase and an assessment of cytotoxic activity against HeLa and Colo-
205 cells using standard biochemical and biotechnological methods.
Results: The results revealed that the aqueous and methanol fractions had the highest α-amylase enzyme inhibitory
activity with IC50 values of 21.37±0.31 and 30.2±0.42 μg/mL, respectively, in comparison with
Acarbose, which had an IC50 value of 28.18±0.42 μg/mL. The methanol fraction showed potent α-glucosidase
inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 27.54±4.28 μg/mL; the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity Acarbose was
37.15±0.33 μg/mL. The hexane fraction had greater anti-lipase activity than Orlistat. In addition, 0.5 mg/mL
of the C. curetum acetone and hexane fractions had pronounced cytotoxic effects on the Colo-205 cancer cell line,
and 0.625 mg/ml of the C. curetum hexane fraction had potential cytotoxic effects against the cervical epithelial
carcinoma (HeLa) cell line.
Conclusion: This study revealed that C. curetum has potential α-amylase, α-glucosidase, porcine pancreatic lipase
enzyme inhibitory activity and cytotoxic activity against the HeLa and Colo-205 cancer cell lines, which indicates
the presence of biologically active and cytotoxic compounds in this plant species. This may be considered
a challenge for developing bioactive compounds in diabetes, obesity and cancer management.