Purification of lipase enzyme from bovine pancreas and investigation of the effect of some plant extracts on this enzyme

The serious side effects of currently used obesity drugs have led to the search for more effective and reliable treatment methods.In recent years, research has focused on the inhibition of the pancreatic lipase enzyme, which is responsible for the breakdown of dietary fats, with natural products. New lipase inhibitors obtained from natural sources such as plants, fungi and algae have attracted attention because they have less side effects and low toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of some plant extracts on bovine pancreatic lipase in vitro. For this purpose, the bovine pancreatic lipase enzyme was purified by Sephadex-G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The specific activity of the bovine pancreatic lipase enzyme was found as 452 U/mg protein and the enzyme was purified 16.71 times. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined as 48 kDa by SDS-PAGE. After the plant extracts were prepared by the maceration method, their effects on pancreatic lipase were investigated. Inhibition studies showed that milk thistle extract is a potent pancreatic lipase inhibitor and an anti-obesity agent. The IC50 value of milk thistle extract was determined as 24.81 µM. Artichoke leaf extract inhibited pancreatic lipase by 11.35% at 25 µM. Olive leaf extract inhibited pancreatic lipase by 11.35% at 25 µM. Consequently, milk thistle, artichoke leaf, and olive leaf extract showed promising inhibitory effects against PLE. This research has been supported by Kütahya Dumlupınar University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Office under grant number 2022-12.