2. Academic Validation
  3. Hypoglycemic effects and chemical changes of mulberry fruits of different ripeness: In vitro and silico studies

Hypoglycemic effects and chemical changes of mulberry fruits of different ripeness: In vitro and silico studies

  • Food Chem X. 2025 Jul 23:29:102827. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102827.
Yong Yu 1,  Yu Di 1,  Qingzhu Nie 1,  Xiaolong Chen 1,  Aiyuan Wang 1,  Kaiming Ren 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Ophthalmology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110000, PR China.
  • 2 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110000, PR China.
PMID: 40761754 DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102827
Abstract

Mulberry fruits (MF) are valued for their health benefits. Investigating the composition and functionality of MF at different maturation stages could enhance their applications and reduce waste. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro hypoglycemic effects of MF at various maturation stages and to identify potentially active hypoglycemic compounds. The results revealed that the inhibitory effects of MF extracts on α-amylase and α-glucosidase decreased with increasing maturity. Extracts from less ripe fruits demonstrated the most significant enhancement of glucose utilization and glycogen accumulation in HepG2 cells. UHPLC-Q-Exactive analysis identified mulberroside A, taxisterone, 5-Androstenetriol, cortolone, rapanone, 16β,17β-Dihydroxy-16-methylestr-4-en-3-one, geranyl β-D-glucopyranoside, varanic acid, 1-O-Caffeoylglucose, and Abscisic acid glucose ester as potential compounds that enhance the hypoglycemic effects of the low-maturity samples. Computational studies elucidated the binding sites and molecular interactions of mulberroside A, taxisterone, and digestive Enzymes. These findings provide a valuable reference for considering MF as a functional food additive.

Keywords

Maturity; Molecular docking; Mulberry; T2DM; UHPLC-Q-Exactive.

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