Digestive enzyme modulating properties of Kuwait seaweed and seaweed extracts

Abstract

The primary aim of this research was to investigate the inhibitory impact of Kuwait seaweed and its aqueous (WE) and ethanolic extracts on Pancreatic Lipase (PL) utilising turbidity assay, Michaelis-Menten kinetic analysis, and a synthetic model of the gut system. Next, the total polyphenolic content (TPC) was measured. A total of seven seaweeds, belonging to various species, were collected from the Kuwait coastline between 2019 and 2022. The green seaweeds identified were Cladophora sericioides and Codium papillatum. The brown seaweeds identified were Sirophysalis trinodis, Colpomenia sinuosa, Iyngaria stellata, and Padina boergesenii. The red seaweed was Gelidium Pusillum. The brown seaweed S. trinodis was harvested during two distinct seasons, November 2020 (N) and April 2021 (A). Therefore, the temporal effect on the inhibitory action of S. trinodis was investigated. It was found that all Kuwaiti seaweed homogenates, as well as four WE extracts and four ethanol pellets, showed significant inhibition of PL activity to varying extents. These samples were used for further research. The kinetic analysis revealed that Kuwaiti seaweed samples showed mixed-type inhibition of pancreatic lipase. The Kuwait seaweed samples did not inhibit fat digestion. It has been determined that Kuwaiti seaweeds contain varying concentrations of TPC. However, no correlation was found to be statistically significant between seaweed TPC and its PL inhibitory effect. The significant temporal effect on PL activity and TPC were noted in the WE extract from S. trinodis. The observed variance in the results across seaweed species suggests that each seaweed is likely harbours species-specific compounds with distinctive structural features. The ani-lipase properties of the phytochemicals found in Kuwaiti seaweed samples are due to their additive and synergistic effects.