Emo Andrew Ivo^1,2,3, Uju Dorathy Iliemene², Abdu Rabi³, Richard James Banya⁴, Shinjawa Yunana³, Ijeoma Claira Osuagwu³, Gabriel Oluwabunmi Anyanwu²

¹Defence Reference Laboratory, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja-Keffi Road, Asokoro, Abuja, FCT,; ²Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State,; ³Ministry of Defence Ship House, Garki Area 10, Abuja, FCT,; ⁴Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.

For correspondence:-  Gabriel Anyanwu   Email: gabrielanyanwu@binghamuni.edu.ng

Received: 5 January 2026        Accepted: 15 August 2026        Published: 31 October 2026

Citation: Ivo EA, Iliemene UD, Rabi A, Banya RJ, Yunana S, Osuagwu IC, et al. Phytochemical analysis and anti-obesity activities of Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc. seed (Bambara nuts) fractions on alpha-amylase, pancreatic lipase and 3T3--L1 adipocytes. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(10):1387-1398 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v25i10.6

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the phytochemical constituents and anti-obesity activities of Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc. seed (Bambara nut) fractions. Methods: The hexane (HF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EF), and aqueous (AF) fractions from the ethanolic extract of Vigna subterranea were obtained using solvent-solvent partitioning with the respective solvents. Phytochemical analysis was performed using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC–MS/MS-Q-TOF) on CF, EF, and AF in positive and negative ionization modes. The in vitro enzyme inhibitory activity of plant fractions was determined against α-amylase and pancreatic lipase, while the anti-adipogenic activity was assessed on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Results: Phytochemical profiling revealed diverse metabolites belonging to the classes of fatty acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, peptides, and glycerophospholipids across the fractions. AF showed the most abundant compounds in both negative and positive modes, maintaining its superiority over other fractions as the most active against both α-amylase and pancreatic lipase, with inhibition greater than 50 % and IC50 of 250 ± 0.08 µg/mL and IC50 of 14.92 ± 0.15 µg/mL, respectively. The anti-adipogenic test exhibited a reduction in Oil Red O staining in AF-treated preadipocytes as the concentration increased, with significant reduction (p < 0.05) in intracellular lipid accumulation compared with the control treatment cells. Conclusion: Fractions of V. subterranea contain diverse classes of bioactive compounds that may be responsible for inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes and adipogenesis suppression, suggesting they are potential sources of obesity therapy, particularly the AF. This finding provides the foundation for further studies.

Keywords: Adipogenesis, ?-Amylase, Lipogenesis, LC–MS/MS-Q-TOF, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, Pancreatic lipase, Vigna subterranea

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)