Antidiabetic and antioxidant potentials of Pleurotus ostreatus -derived compounds: An in vitro and in silico approach

•Pleurotus ostreatus methanol extract (MEPO) contains many health-beneficial compounds.•MEPO showed stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase activity than α-amylase.•MEPO showed potential for blood glucose regulation in silico . Many health benefits have reportedly been associated with mushroom consumption. This study determined the chemical constituents of Pleurotus ostreatus methanol extract (MEPO) and investigated its antioxidant and antidiabetic effects using in vitro and in silico approaches. The chemical composition of MEPO was determined using the gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) technique, while 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods were used to determine antioxidant activity. The antidiabetic activity was evaluated using α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assays, while molecular docking was done to give insight into the binding potentials of MEPO constituents against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase activities. Thirteen compounds, including ephedrine, oxalate, rutin, naringin, and kaempferol, were identified in MEPO. The extract showed moderate antioxidant activity, as observed from the DPPH (IC50 = 732.41 mg/ml) and FRAP studies. The extract also demonstrated stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase activity (IC50 = 246.58 mg/ml) than α-amylase activity (IC50 = 1074.05 mg/ml). Docking studies revealed that rutin and naringin interacted effectively with amino acid residues crucial for α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and PEP carboxykinase activities via hydrogen bonds. The result shows that MEPO is a rich store of beneficial compounds which could be explored for the management of diabetes and associated complications.