Corylus avellana: A Source of Diarylheptanoids With α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity Evaluated by in vitro and in silico Studies

Corylus avellana hard shells, green leafy involucres, leaves, and male flowers have shown to be a source of diarylheptanoids, a class of natural products with promising biological activities. Cyclic diarylheptanoids, named giffonins, were isolated from the Italian cultivar “Tonda di Giffoni.” Even if many efforts have been made to establish the chemistry of these compounds, little is known about their biological properties. Herein, the inhibitory effects of diarylheptanoids isolated from C. avellana byproducts against α-glucosidase enzyme were evaluated. Molecular docking experiments disclosed the establishment of several key interactions between all the screened diarylheptanoids and the pr…