NATURAL LIPASE INHIBITORS FROM MORNING GLORY FAMILY

Abstract

Lipase inhibitors are effective in obesity treatment as they can slow down dietary fat digestion and reduce calorie intake. Besides drug discovery, natural lipase inhibitors are also promising ingredients for developing functional foods with weight management effects. A high-throughput screening assay was employed to screen the lipase inhibition activity of 336 plant species from the Singapore Botanic Garden. Ipomoea pes-caprae showed outstanding lipase inhibitory activity, with resin glycosides identified as the major lipase inhibitors. Inspired by such findings, the ethanolic extract of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) tubers was subsequently studied with similar methods to expand the research on edible plants. The stability of resin glycosides was evaluated by thermal processing and simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The resin glycosides were relatively stable at normal cooking temperatures with neutral pH, and partially degraded in acidic gastric fluids. To enhance the pH stability, the resin glycosides were protected with alginate shells using electrospray micro-encapsulation.