The invention belongs to the technical field of medicines, and particularly provides a novel application of a
theaflavin compound in preparation of a product for inhibiting
dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), and the
theaflavin compound is one or more of
theaflavin-3-
gallate (TF2A), theaflavin-3 '-digallate (TF3) and theaflavin (TF). The research systematically proves that TF2A, TF3 and TF have new application of inhibiting DPP-4 for the first time: in-vitro enzymology and
fluorescence experiments show that theaflavin can inhibit DPP-4 and interact with DPP-4, and molecular docking further shows possible binding configuration and key
action sites of theaflavin.
In vivo, the activity of DPP-4 in serum and different tissues of high-
fat diet mice can be reduced, serum
glucagon-like
peptide-1 (GLP-1) can be up-regulated, and glycometabolism and inflammatory
phenotype can be improved. Therefore, the theaflavin compound disclosed by the invention can be applied to preparation of products for inhibiting DPP-4, and has a good development prospect.