The use of natural products as potential preventive and therapeutic interventions for diabetes has drawn worldwide attention. Ocimum species have a multitude of applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The anti-diabetic activity of Ocimum has previously been reported; however, the active compound(s) associated with such activity remains elusive. In an effort to identify both an accession that is the most effective against diabetes, and the compound(s) that may be associated with its anti-diabetic effects, sixteen Ocimum accessions representing to six different species were investigated. Fourteen chemical constituents from diverse groups, viz. flavonoids, phenols, and terpenoids were simultaneously quantified utilizing a newly developed LC/DAD/Q-ToF method. The results from the method validation demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 &gt;0.99) and sensitivity as evident by the limit of detection (0.04 – 0.6 µg/mL) and limit of quantification (0.08 – 1 µg/mL). Likewise, the method was found to be precise (RSD &lt; 6%) with recoveries between 87.7-103.5%. The anti-diabetic activity of methanol crude extracts of all samples was explored via an α-glucosidase inhibitory assay. Data from dose-response studies suggested that the maximal inhibitory potential of O. gratissimum from Zambia (AR-XLVI-01-13) was comparable to the anti-diabetic drug, acarbose. Furthermore, two compounds, rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid present in O. gratissimum were reported for the first time to be responsible for the anti-diabetic properties of this plant species. The reported analytical and biological methods could be employed to evaluate the chemical composition and field performance of Ocimum. Overall, this project provided scientific information necessary for the development of sustainable organic production systems, which enable commercial cultivation of Ocimum varieties with known bioactivity.

Agronomy, Chemical Analysis and Antidiabetic Activity of Basil (Ocimum Species)

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