In silico Study with Antioxidant Activity and α-Amylase Inhibitory Potential in Ethanolic Extract of Melilotus indicus
Sabaa Ali Mohammed Al. Fadal *
Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Iraq.
Rafeef Amer Abul-Jabar
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Iraq.
Ula Mohamad Noor Almousawei
Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Iraq.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Building upon the long history of plants as natural remedies, this study investigated the presence and content of flavonoids, a class of polyphenols, in an ethanolic extract of Melilotus indicus. The antioxidant activity of the extract was also evaluated. The Melilotus genus is renowned for its diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effects. As anticipated, flavonoids were the primary phenolic constituents identified in M. indicus. The extract exhibited a flavonoid content of 0.49 ± 3.818 mg/g and demonstrated comparable antioxidant activity (IC50 = 1.6 mg/mL) to vitamin C (IC50 = 0.01 mg/mL). A docking study against human salivary amylase (1C8Q), revealed promising binding scores for chlorogenic acid and kaempferol (-6.09196091 and -5.45953274 kcal/mol, respectively) compared to the acarbose drug (-8.8864727 kcal/mol). These findings suggest that M. indicus may be a valuable source of natural antioxidants with potential health benefits.
Keywords: Melilotus indicus, α-amylase, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, antioxidant