Phytoconstituents and Pharmacological Activities of Indian Camphorweed (Pluchea indica): A Multi-Potential Medicinal Plant of Nutritional and Ethnomedicinal Importance

Computational and in vitro analyses of the antibacterial effect of the ethanolic extract of Pluchea indica L. leaves

The most common gram-negative, Escherichia coli, and gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus spp., have evolved different mechanisms that have caused the emergence of multi-drug resistance. As a result, drugs that block the bacterial growth cycle are needed. Here, in silico and in vitro studies were performed to assess compounds in the Pluchea indica leaf extract, a medicinal plant, that can inhibit bacterial proteins. Briefly, P. indica leaves were extracted using ethanol. The crude extract was then subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for metabolite screening. Molecular docking simulations with rhomboid protease (Rpro) (Protein data bank ID number: 3ZMI from E. coli and filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ) protein data bank ID number: 2VAM from Bacillus subtilis were performed. Moreover, the well diffusion method was used to confirm the antibacterial activity of P. indica leaf extract. A total of 10 compounds were identified in the P. indica extract and used for computational analysis. Based on drug-likeness prediction, P. indica compounds may be drug-like molecules. Binding affinity tests indicated that 10,10-Dimethyl-2,6-dimethylenebicyclo(7.2.0)undecan-5.β.-ol and 11,11-Dimethyl-4,8-dimethylenebicyclo(7.2.0)undecan-3-ol had the most negative values. Accordingly, these compounds may be potential ligands that bind to bacterial proteins. The root mean square fluctuation values was <2 Å, indicating stable fluctuation binding for the ligand-protein complex. According to in vitro antibacterial assays, a high concentration (50%) of the P. indica extract markedly inhibited E. coli and B. subtilis, with inhibitory zone diameters of 31.86±1.63 and 21.09±0.09 mm, respectively. Overall, the compounds in the P. indica leaf extract were identified as functional inhibitors of E. coli and B. subtilis proteins via in silico analysis. This may facilitate development of antibacterial agents.

Essential Oils from the Leaves and Stem Barks of Pluchea Indica (L.) Less.: Chemical Analysis, Cytotoxicity, Anti-inflammation, Antimicrobial Activity, Molecular Docking, and ADMET Profiling

Pluchea indica (L.) Less. is a medicinal plant native to Asia. Traditionally, it is known for numerous traditional uses, such as treatments for fever, cough, and digestive issues. The present investigation aims to determine the chemical compositions of essential oils from its fresh leaves and stem barks. By using hydro-distillation and the GC-FID/MS (gas chromatography-flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry) analysis, the studied samples were dominated by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (76.8-82.2 %) and their oxygenated derivatives (8.4-19.0 %). β-Selinene (42.0-43.5 %) and silphinene (21.1-22.9 %) were the main compounds. Significantly, the stem bark essential oil strongly monitored the growth of four cancer cell lines K562, HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-7 with IC50 values of 2.89-7.34 μg/mL. Both studied samples showed strong anti-inflammatory activity against NO (nitric oxide) production with IC50 values of 21.81-23.18 μg/mL. The studied sample also exhibited antimicrobial activity at different levels. The molecular docking study revealed that β-selinene exhibited the strongest binding affinity for all four cancer-related protein targets: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 1 (ABL1), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 K-α). The ADMET profiles of the major compounds were also predicted to provide insights for further research considerations.

Green Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Pluchea indica Leaf Extract: Antimicrobial and Photocatalytic Activities

Nanotechnology is playing a critical role in several essential technologies with nanoscale structures (nanoparticles) in areas of the environment and biomedicine. In this work, the leaf extract of Pluchea indica was utilized to biosynthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) for the first time and evaluated for antimicrobial and photocatalytic activities. Different experimental methods were used to characterize the biosynthesized ZnONPs. The biosynthesized ZnONPs showed maximum Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) absorbance at a wavelength of 360 nm. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the ZnONPs exhibits seven strong reflection peaks, and the average particle size was 21.9 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrum analysis reveals the presence of functional groups that help in biofabrication. The existence of Zn and O was confirmed by the Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum and the morphology by SEM images. Antimicrobial studies showed that the biosynthesized ZnONPs have antimicrobial efficacy against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans where inhibition zones at concentration 1000 µg/mL were 21.83 ± 0.76, 13.0 ± 1.1, 14.9 ± 0.85, 24.26 ± 1.1, 17.0 ± 1.0, 20.67 ± 0.57 and 19.0 ± 1.0 mm respectively. Under both dark and sunlight irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of ZnONPs was evaluated towards the degradation of the thiazine dye (methylene blue-MB). Approximately 95% of the MB dye was broken down at pH 8 after 150 min of sunlight exposure. The aforementioned results, therefore, suggest that ZnONPs synthesized by implementing environmentally friendly techniques can be employed for a variety of environmental and biomedical applications.

Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemical Composition, Biosynthesis, and Pharmacological Activities of Carpesium abrotanoides L. (Asteraceae)

Carpesium abrotanoides L. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant with immense therapeutic importance and bioactivities. It is commonly encountered in various Asian regions. It has numerous ethnomedicinal uses for curing diverse ailments such as toothache, stomach ulcer, boils, tonsillitis, bronchitis, bacterial infection, bruises, swelling, virus infection, fever, and amygdalitis, as well as an anthelmintic versus round-, tape-, hook-, and pinworms. Different classes of phytoconstituents such as sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene dimers, monoterpenes, and nitrogenous compounds have been reported from this plant. These phytoconstituents have proved to possess anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and insecticidal capacities. The present review aims to summarize all published data on C. abrotanoides including traditional uses, phytoconstituents, bioactivities, and toxicological aspects, as well as the synthesis and biosynthesis of its metabolites through an extensive survey on various databases and various publishers. These reported data could draw the attention of various natural-metabolite-interested researchers and medicinal chemists towards the development of this plant and/or its metabolites into medicine for the prevention and treatment of certain illnesses. Despite the diverse traditional uses of C. abrotanoides, there is a need for scientific evidence to support these claims. Clinical trials are also required to further assure these data and validate this plant utilization in treating several diseases.