(+)-Pinoresinol is a putative hypoglycemic agent in defatted sesame (Sesamum indicum) seeds though inhibiting α-glucosidase

Defatted sesame seeds have been reported for hypoglycemic effect in mice and T2DM women. An attempted to identify active components responsible for this effect was conducted using α-glucosidase-guided fractionation, resulting in the isolation of various lignans. Of compounds isolated, only (+)-pinoresinol showed inhibitory activity against rat intestinal maltase with an IC50 value of 34.3μM. The kinetic study indicated that enzymatic hydrolysis of maltose is inhibited by (+)-pinoresinol through competitive and noncompetitive manners. However, a lower dissociation constant (ki 288M) of EI complex suggested that competitive inhibition is predominant over noncompetitive mode (k′i1342M).