Antidiabetic and antioxidant potentials of Abelmoschus esculentus: In vitro combined with molecular docking approach

Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Potential of Ormocarpum cochinchinense (Lour.) Merr. Leaf: An Integrated In vitro and In silico Approach

Diabetes is a prevalent metabolic disorder associated with various complications. Inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes is an effective strategy for managing non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of Ormocarpum cochinchinense leaf through in vitro and in silico approaches. The methanol extract exhibited the highest phenolic and flavonoid content over solvent extracts aqueous, acetone, hexane, and chloroform, the same has been correlating with strong antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the methanol extract demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, indicating its potential as an antidiabetic agent. Molecular docking analysis identified compounds, including myo-inositol, with favorable binding energies comparable to the standard drug metformin. The selected compounds displayed strong binding affinity towards α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Structural dynamics analysis revealed that myo-inositol formed a more stable complex with the enzymes. These findings suggest that O. cochinchinense leaf possesses antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, making it a potential source for developing therapeutic agents.

A Review: Pharmacological Activity and Phytochemical Profile of Abelmoschus esculentus (2010-2022)

Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench (okra) which belongs to the family Malvaceae is a commonly consumed vegetable that consists of the seed component which is rich in polyphenolic compounds. The aim of this study is to highlight the chemical and biological diversity of A. esculentus. This plant contains many vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates in addition to flavonoids, terpenes, phenolic compounds and sterols. These variations in the chemical composition resulted in different therapeutic activities including antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, wound healing, hepatoprotective, immunomodulator, neuroprotective, and gastroprotective activities in addition to cardioprotective activity.

Investigation of antioxidant and antibacterial effects of citrus fruits peels extracts using different extracting agents: Phytochemical analysis with in silico studies

The peels extracted from various citrus species are major source of phenols, flavonoids and anti-microbial agents. The purpose of this study was a detailed investigation of the phytochemical and pharmacological character of the ethanolic (80%), methanolic and acetone extracts of the peel of local variants of orange (lemon, grape fruit, mousami, fruiter, and shikri malta). The extracts were studied to find out the total phenolic contents (TPC), and total flavonoids (TF) present. The antioxidant activities were assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging effect, and the reducing power was determined through free radical scavenging activity (FRAP) assays. The sensitivity of four bacterial strains to peels extracts was examined by applying the diffusion disc on agar medium method. It was found that ethanol was the best extracting agent for TPC and TF in fruit peels under study. The highest TPC (21.33 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g) was quantified in orange peels, whereas fruiter contained the lowest TPC (20.40 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g) in ethanolic extract. The highest amount of TF (2.02 ± 0.08 mg QE/g) was quantified in lemon peels, whereas shikri malta contained lowest quantity of TF (1.04 ± 0.02 mg QE/g). The highest free radical scavenging activity (93.1%) of DPPH was exhibited by lemon peels, whereas the least activity (78.6%) was shown by mousami peels. Ethanolic extract of orange peels demonstrated more reducing power while showing an absorption of 1.98, followed by methanolic (1.11) and acetone (0.81) extracts. The inhibition effect of methanolic extract of lemon peels (inhibition zone = 18 mm) against B. subtilis was considerable and comparable to that of ciprofloxacin. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to detect the compounds in ethanolic extract and up to 14 compounds were detected. These compounds were also assessed for their docking scores. Plausible binding modes with polyphenol oxidase and four best compounds were selected for molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to analyze their structural stability with receptor.

Cytotoxicity against A549 Human Lung Cancer Cell Line via the Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Nuclear Condensation Effects of Nepeta paulsenii Briq., a Perennial Herb

The genus Nepeta belongs to the largest Lamiaceae family, with 300 species, which are distributed throughout the various regions of Africa, Asia, India, and America. Along with other plant families distinguished by their medicinal and therapeutic values, the Nepeta genus of Lameaceae remains relatively valuable. Hence, the phytochemicals of N. paulsenii Briq. were extracted using different plant parts, i.e., leaves, stem, roots, flowers, and the whole plant by using various solvents (ethanol, water, and ethyl acetate), obtaining 15 fractions. Each extract of dried plant material was analyzed by FT-IR and GC-MS to identify the chemical constituents. The cytotoxicity of each fraction was analyzed by MTT assay and mitochondrial membrane potential and nuclear condensation assays against lung cancer cells. Among the ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts, the flowers showed the best results, with IC₅₀ values of 51.57 μg/mL and 50.58 μg/mL, respectively. In contrast, among the water extracts of the various plant segments, the stem showed the best results, with an IC₅₀ value of 123.80 μg/mL. 5-flourouracil was used as the standard drug, providing an IC₅₀ value of 83.62 μg/mL. The Hoechst 33342 stain results indicated apoptotic features, i.e., chromatin dissolution and broken down, fragmented, and crescent-shaped nuclei. The ethanolic extracts of the flowers showed more pronounced apoptotic effects on the cells. The mitochondrial membrane potential indicated that rhodamine 123 fluorescence signals suppressed mitochondrial potential due to the treatment with the extracts. Again, the apoptotic index of the ethanolic extract of the flowers remained the highest. Hence it can be concluded that the flower part of N. paulsenii Briq. was found to be the most active against the A459 human lung cancer cell line.