Determination of bioactive markers in Cleome droserifolia using cell-based bioassays for antidiabetic activity and isolation of two novel active compounds

The antidiabetic activities of the aqueous (AqEx) and ethanolic (AlEx) extracts of Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Del., were tested in cultured C2C12 skeletal muscle cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. An 18-h treatment with the AqEx increased basal glucose uptake by 33% [insulin equivalent (IE) = 1.3 ± 0.04] in muscle cells comparable to a 25.5% increase caused by 100 nM insulin (IE = 1 ± 0.03). Fractionation of the tested AqEx yielded hexane (HxFr), chloroform (ClFr) and ethyl acetate (EtFr) fractions which exerted 38, 52 and 35% increase in the glucose uptake corresponding to an IE of 1.5 ± 0.06, 2.0 ± 0.04 and 1.4 ± 0.04, respectively. Only the ClFr and EtFr accelerated the triglyceride accumulation [rosiglitazone equivalent (RE) was 0.9 ± 0.13 and 0.63 ± 0.12, respectively] in pre-adipocytes undergoing differentiation comparably with 10 μM rosiglitazone. Six terpenoids (C1–C6) and three flavonol glycosides (F1–F3) were isolated from the active ClFr and EtFr, respectively, and identified. C5, C2 and C4 had an IE of 0.86 ± 0.05, 1.01 ± 0.04 and 0.9 ± 0.08, while F1, F2 and F3 gave an IE of 1.3 ± 0.05, 2.3 ± 0.05 and 2.0 ± 0.04, respectively. We could conclude that the reported antihyperglycemic activity of Cleome droserifolia is attributed to significant insulin-like effects in peripheral tissues, and that compounds F2 and F3, being highly active, could be used as bioactive markers to standardize the C. droserifolia herbal extract.