Identification of α-amylase inhibitors from flavonoid fraction of Feronia elephantum and its integration with in-silico studies

UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS metabolite profiles of different extracts from Pelargonium endlicherianum parts and their biological properties based on network pharmacological approaches

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the chemical profiles and biological activities of different extracts (ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, ethanol, and water) of Pelargonium endlicherianum parts (aerial parts and roots). Free radical scavenging, reducing power, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelating were assayed for antioxidant properties. To detect enzyme inhibitory properties, cholinesterase, amylase, glucosidase, and tyrosinase were chosen as target enzymes. The ethanol extract of the aerial parts contained higher amounts of total bioactive compounds (120.53 mg GAE/g-24.46 mg RE/g). The ethanol and water extracts of these parts were tentatively characterized by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and 95 compounds were annotated. In addition, the highest acetylcholiesterase (3.74 mg GALAE/g) and butyrylcholinesterase (3.92 mg GALAE/g) abilities were observed by the ethanol extract of roots. The water extract from aerial parts exhibited the most pronounced inhibitory effects on multiple cancer cell lines, especially A549 (IC50: 23.2 µg/mL) and HT-29 (IC50: 27.43 µg/mL) cells. Using network pharmacology, P. endlicherianum compounds were studied against cancer, revealing well-connected targets such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2, and growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (GRB2) with significant impact on cancer-related pathways. The results could open a new path from natural treasure to functional applications with P. endlicherianum and highlight a new study on other uninvestigated Pelargonium species.

In Silico and In Vitro Analyses to Repurpose Quercetin as a Human Pancreatic α-Amylase Inhibitor

Human pancreatic α-amylase (HPA), situated at the apex of the starch digestion hierarchy, is an attractive therapeutic approach to precisely regulate blood glucose levels, thereby efficiently managing diabetes. Polyphenols offer a natural and multifaceted approach to moderate postprandial sugar spikes, with their slight modulation in carbohydrate digestion and potential secondary benefits, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Taking into consideration the unfavorable side effects of currently available commercial medications, we aimed to study a library of polyphenols attributed to their remarkable antidiabetic properties and screened the most potent HPA inhibitor via a comprehensive in silico study encompassing molecular docking, molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation (MM/GBSA) calculation, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, density functional theory (DFT) study, and pharmacokinetic properties followed by an in vitro assay. Significant hydrogen bonding with the catalytic triad residues of HPA, prominent MM/GBSA binding energy of -27.03 kcal/mol, and the stable nature of the protein-ligand complex with regard to 100 ns MD simulation screened quercetin as the best HPA inhibitor. Additionally, quercetin showed strong reactivity in the substrate-binding pocket of HPA and exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic properties with a considerable inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 57.37 ± 0.9 μg/mL against α-amylase. This study holds prospects for HPA inhibition and suggests quercetin as an approach to therapy for diabetes; however, it is imperative to conduct further research.

The cytotoxic potential of sinapic acid on luminal A breast cancer; a computational and experimental pharmacology approach

Breast cancer is a highly concerning and prevalent disease that impacts a significant proportion of women worldwide, whose repeated exposure to therapies leads to resistance for drugs; making it alarming to identify novel chemotherapeutic agents. Sinapic acid is a phenolic acid that occurs naturally and is known to exhibit cytotoxic action in a variety of cancer cell types. In the present study, we utilized cell cytotoxicity assays to assess the cytotoxic potential of sinapic acid on various breast cancer subtypes. In addition, we assessed the cell migration rate, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle phases. Moreover, we utilized multiple system biology tools to predict the potential targets, and molecular docking was performed on the hub targets followed by molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Cytotoxicity assay was performed on cell lines MCF7, T47D, MDA-MB-468, and SKBR3 at different time exposures of 24, 48, and 96 h. Our results revealed sinapic acid to be potent on MCF7 and T47D cell lines. The cell cycle analysis and cell apoptotic assays revealed sinapic acid to cause cell death by apoptosis majorly in the G0/G1 phase. Computational biology revealed KIF18B and VKORC1 to possess the highest binding affinity of -6.5 and -7.5 kcal/mol; displayed stable trajectories on MD run. The cytotoxicity of sinapic acid on luminal A cell lines may be due to the modulation of VKORC1 and KIF18B with major cell death in the G0/G1 phase. However, the mechanism has been proposed via in silico tools, which need further validation using wet lab protocols.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Feronia elephantum reverses insulin resistance in fructose-induced hyper-insulinemic rats; an in-silico, in-vitro, and in-vivo approach

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Feronia elephantum corr. (synonym: Feronia limonia, Murraya odorata, Schinus Limonia, or Limonia acidissima; common names: Bela, Kath, Billin, and Kavitha), belonging to the family Rutaceae has been known for clinical conditions such as pruritus, diarrhea, impotence, dysentery, heart diseases, and is also used as a liver tonic. However, the effect of the fruit pulp of F. elephantum on insulin resistance has yet not been reported.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study aimed to assess the effect of hydroalcoholic extract/fraction of F. elephantum fruit pulp on fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test, and glucose uptake in fructose-induced insulin-resistant rats and predict the gene-set enrichment of lead hits of F. elephantum with targets related to insulin resistance.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

System biology tools were used to predict the best category of fraction and propose a possible mechanism. Docking was carried out with adiponectin and its receptor (hub gene). Further, fructose supplementation was used for the induction of insulin resistance. Later, three doses of extract (400, 200, and 100 mg/kg) and a flavonoid-rich fraction (63 mg/kg) were used for treatment along with metformin as standard. The physical parameters like body weight, food intake, and water intake were measured along with oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, glycogen content in skeletal muscles and liver, glucose uptake by rat hemidiaphragm, lipid profiles, anti-oxidant biomarkers, and histology of the liver and adipose tissue.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology reflected the potency of F. elephantum to regulate adiponectin (ADIPOQ) which may promote the reversal of insulin resistance and inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Vitexin was predicted to modulate the most genes associated with diabetes mellitus. Further, F. elephantum ameliorated the exogenous glucose clearance, promoted insulin sensitivity, reduced oxidative stress, and improved glucose and lipid metabolism. HPLC profiling revealed the presence of apigenin and quercetin in the extract for the first time.

CONCLUSION

The fruit pulp of F. elephantum reverses insulin resistance by an increase in glucose uptake and a decrease in gluconeogenesis which may be due to the regulation of multiple proteins via multiple bio-actives.

GLUT-2 mediated glucose uptake analysis of Duranta repens: In-silico and In-vitro approach

Background

Type-2 diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance, a relative impairment in insulin secretion, and a certain degree of genetic predisposition. The rapid rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus around the world has assisted in the development of new pharmacologically active compounds. The current study was aimed to investigate and validate the anti-diabetic activity of wild-grown plant Duranta repens L.

Material and methods

In-silico molecular docking via AutoDock tools 4.2 and in-vitro glucose uptake assay using yeast cells was performed to investigate the anti-diabetic property of plant Duranta repens. Further, mRNA-based gene ontology enrichment analysis was performed to predict the imitated ontology by the bio-actives from Duranta repens.

Results

The in-silico study results reveal that among the 9 active phytoconstituents docked against GLUT-2 protein, α-onocerin possessed the highest binding affinity of -10.23 kcal/mol with no predicted adverse effects and also complies with Lipinski's rule of five. Also, in-vitro studies reflected in a 5 mM glucose solution, hydro-alcoholic extract of Duranta repens at different concentrations enhanced glucose uptake in yeast cells.

Conclusion

Duranta repens extract enhanced the glucose uptake in yeast cells which may be due to the presence of α-onocerin; possessed the better interaction. Also, no adverse effects were predicted for α-onocerin. Thus, it can be speculated  that Duranta repens may possess anti-diabetic activity which may be due to α-onocerin and other related bioactives; needs to be further confirmed vi a  experimental studies.

Exploring the therapeutic mechanisms of Cassia glauca in diabetes mellitus through network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics

Cassia glauca is reported as anti-diabetic medicinal plant and is also used as an ethnomedicine. However, its mode of action as an anti-diabetic agent has not been clearly elucidated. Hence, the present study investigated the probable mechanism of action of C. glauca to manage diabetes mellitus via network pharmacology and molecular docking and simulations studies. The reported bioactives from C. glauca were retrieved from an open-source database, i.e. ChEBI, and their targets were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction. The proteins involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes were identified from the therapeutic target database. The targets involved in diabetes were enriched in STRING, and the pathways involved in diabetes were identified concerning the KEGG. Cytoscape was used to construct the network among bioactives, proteins, and probably regulated pathways, which were analyzed based on edge count. Similarly, molecular docking was performed using the Glide module of the Schrodinger suite against majorly targeted proteins with their respective ligands. Additionally, the drug-likeness score and ADMET profile of the individual bioactives were predicted using MolSoft and admetSAR2.0 respectively. The stability of these complexes were further studied via molecular dynamics simulations and binding energy calculations. Twenty-three bio-actives were retrieved from the ChEBI database in which cassiarin B was predicted to modulate the highest number of proteins involved in diabetes mellitus. Similarly, GO analysis identified the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to be primarily regulated by modulating the highest number of gene. Likewise, aldose reductase (AKR1B1) was majorly targeted via the bioactives of C. glauca. Similarly, docking study revealed methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinate (docking score -9.209) to possess the highest binding affinity with AKR1B1. Additionally, drug-likeness prediction identified cassiaoccidentalin B to possess the highest drug-likeness score, i.e. 0.84. The molecular dynamics simulations and the MMGBSA indicate high stability and greater binding energy for the methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinate (ΔG bind = -40.33 ± 6.69 kcal mol-1) with AKR1B1, thus complementing results from other experiments. The study identified cassiarin B, cassiaoccidentalin B, and cinnamtannin A2 as lead hits for the anti-diabetic activity of C. glauca. Further, the PI3K-Akt and AKR1B1 were traced as majorly modulated pathway and target, respectively.