Alpha-amylase is one of your body’s key digestive enzymes. It’s produced in your saliva and pancreas, and its main job is to break down starch (complex carbs) into smaller sugars, like maltose and glucose, which are quickly absorbed into your bloodstream.
This is great when you need quick energy—but not so great when you're trying to avoid blood sugar spikes or energy crashes after eating.
Docking Score: –5.6 kcal/mol
This indicates a moderate binding affinity, suggesting that cinnamaldehyde can fit stably into alpha-amylase's allosteric site.
To the left is the 3D molecular docking result:
Cinnamaldehyde (in blue) nestled inside the alpha-amylase enzyme surface (pink), where it may alter the active site.
Modeled Interactions:
The docking simulation showed non-covalent binding of cinnamaldehyde at or near the catalytic pocket of alpha-amylase. This means it may partially inhibit enzymatic activity—not by destroying the enzyme, but by slowing its ability to process starch.
Conclusion:
Cinnamaldehyde shows potential as a mild alpha-amylase inhibitor, possibly helping to slow carbohydrate digestion and flatten post-meal glucose spikes.
Software: AutoDock Vina
Scoring Function: Affinity-based (lower = stronger binding)
Best Mode Affinity: –5.6 kcal/mol
RMSD lower bound: 0.0 → confirms stable pose
Citation:
Trott, O., & Olson, A. J. (2010). AutoDock Vina: Improving the speed and accuracy of docking. J Comput Chem, 31(2), 455–461.
