The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and obesity is rapidly rising worldwide. Recently, there is increasing evidence that phytochemicals such as polyphenols in our diet could directly inhibit the activities of key digestive enzymes, representing a novel method of controlling and preventing diabetes mellitus and obesity. More research is required to determine how to effectively utilize phytochemicals within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to obtain maximum inhibition of digestive enzymes. This study investigated the inhibition efficiency of tannic acid (TA) on α-amylase as compared with other potential inhibitors using an in vitro method. The inhibition mode and kinetics were studied. The results showed that tannic acid (TA) is more effective in inhibiting α-amylase than a commercial starch blocker (Phase 2 Starch Blocker), and some selected flavonoids and polyphenols including quercetin, rutin, and polyphenon from green tea. It is also found that inhibition of α-amylase by TA in the GI tract is difficult if administered orally due to the non-specific and reversible noncompetitive interaction between tannic acid and α-amylase or other proteins. Accordingly, a pH-sensitive delivery system using calcium-alginate microspheres encapsulating tannic acid was successfully developed for oral administration to inhibit carbohydrate digestion in the GI tract. The encapsulated TA in calcium-alginate microspheres could be protected from the proteins in the stomach, and sustain release and inhibit α-amylase activity in the small intestine.

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