Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, Antimicrobial Activity, and In Silico Analysis of the Methanolic Leaf and Flower Extracts of Clitoria ternatea

Md Ariful Islam; Samiran Kumar Mondal; Shirmin Islam; Most Nourin Akther Shorna; Suvro Biswas; Md Salah Uddin; Shahriar Zaman; Md Abu Saleh

doi:10.1155/2023/8847876

Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, Antimicrobial Activity, and In Silico Analysis of the Methanolic Leaf and Flower Extracts of Clitoria ternatea

Biochem Res Int. 2023 Sep 22:2023:8847876. doi: 10.1155/2023/8847876. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Md Ariful Islam¹, Samiran Kumar Mondal¹, Shirmin Islam¹, Most Nourin Akther Shorna², Suvro Biswas¹, Md Salah Uddin¹, Shahriar Zaman¹, Md Abu Saleh¹

Affiliations

¹ Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh.
² Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to human health worldwide. To address this challenge, we conducted a comprehensive study on the leaf and flower extracts of Clitoria ternatea plants. Our research encompassed in vitro assessments of their antibacterial, antibiofilm, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties. Additionally, we employed in silico screening to identify promising compounds with potential applications in developing novel anti-Escherichia coli medications. Notably, our investigation revealed a remarkable inhibition zone of 13.00 ± 1 mm when applying the leaf extract (200 μg/ml) against E. coli, showcasing its potent antibacterial properties. Furthermore, both the leaf and flower extracts exhibited substantial biofilm inhibition efficacy against S. aureus, with inhibition percentages of 54% and 58%, respectively. In the realm of antioxidant activity, the leaf and flower extracts of C. ternatea displayed noteworthy DPPH free radical scavenging capabilities. Specifically, the leaf extract exhibited a substantial activity of 62.39% at a concentration of 150 μg/ml, while the flower extract achieved 44.08% at the same concentration. Our study also evaluated the impact on brine shrimp, where the floral extract displayed a significantly higher mortality rate of 93.33% at a dosage of 200 μg/ml compared to the leaf extract. To elucidate potential therapeutic targets, we utilized molecular docking techniques, focusing on the acbR protein (5ENR) associated with antibiotic resistance in E. coli. In this analysis, compounds isolated from the C. ternatea leaf extract, namely D1 (CID-14478556), D2 (CID-6423376), and D3 (CID-20393), exhibited binding energies of -8.2 kcal/mol, -6.5 kcal/mol, and -6.3 kcal/mol, respectively. Additionally, compounds from the flower extract, E1 (CID-5282761), E2 (CID-538757), and E3 (CID-536762), displayed binding energies of -5.4 kcal/mol, -5.3 kcal/mol, and -5.1 kcal/mol, respectively. In conclusion, the leaf and flower extracts derived from C. ternatea represent a promising natural resource with potential therapeutic applications in combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens.