Phytochemical Characterization and In Vitro Antidiabetic Activity of Aruncus dioicus from Vietnam

This study presents a phytochemical and pharmacological investigation of Aruncus dioicus, a medicinal plant collected from the northeastern coastal region of Vietnam. In light of the growing global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the search for natural compounds capable of modulating key enzymes involved in glucose metabolism, particularly Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and α-glucosidase, remains an important research objective. The experimental methods employed included: botanical identification, extraction, chromatographic separation, and biological activity evaluation. As a result, eleven pure compounds were isolated. Structural determination via 1 H- and 13 C-NMR spectroscopy revealed these constituents as phenylpropanoids, phenolic acids, nucleosides, and ester derivatives, thereby establishing a distinctive chemical profile for the Vietnamese population of A. dioicus. In vitro enzyme inhibition tests demonstrated significant biological activity. p-coumaric acid (Compound 3) and cinnamic acid (Compound 4) exhibited effects on PTP1B, with IC□□ values of 0.25 µM and 1.16 µM, respectively, higher than the activity of the reference compound ursolic acid (IC□□ = 3.5 µM). Furthermore, ethylparaben (Compound 7) and cinnamic acid exhibited α-glucosidase inhibition, with potencies approximately five- to six-fold greater than that of acarbose. These findings suggest that A. dioicus is a potentially valuable source of antidiabetic agents and emphasize the significance of phenylpropanoid derivatives in enzyme inhibition associated with glucose metabolism, thereby providing a scientific foundation for subsequent pharmacological investigations.