An In vitro and in silico investigation of the antitrypanosomal activities of the stem bark extracts of Anopyxis klaineana (Pierre) Engl

Latif Adams; Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah; Michael Afiadenyo; Sherif Hamidu; Abigail Aning; Ebenezer Ehun; Katie Shiels; Akanksha Joshi; Maxwell Mamfe Sakyimah; Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi; Irene Ayi; Michelle Mckeon Bennett; Siobhan Moane

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28025

An In vitro and in silico investigation of the antitrypanosomal activities of the stem bark extracts of Anopyxis klaineana (Pierre) Engl

Heliyon. 2024 Mar 16;10(6):e28025. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28025. eCollection 2024 Mar 30.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Technological University of Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Midlands Campus, Athlone, Ireland.
² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
³ Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Clinical Pathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
⁵ Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana.
⁶ Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre(ABC), Technological University of Shannon, Moylish Park, Limerick, Ireland.
⁷ Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

African Trypanosomiasis caused by trypanosome parasites continues to be a major neglected health problem, particularly in developing countries. Current treatments are marked by serious side effects, low effectiveness, high toxicity, and drug resistance prompting the need to develop novel, safe, effective, and alternative antitrypanosomal compounds. Anopyxis klaineana is an ethnomedicinal plant used in West Africa to treat many ailments including protozoan diseases. In this study, we investigated the antitrypanosomal potential of stem bark extracts of A. klaineana through in vitro and in silico approaches. A. klaineana extracts were tested for their antitrypanosomal activities against Trypanosoma brucei parasite in vitro using Alamar blue assay. In addition, the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were determined. LC-ESI-QTOF-MS was used to identify potential bioactive compounds present in the A. klaineana extracts. Bioactive compounds identified were subjected to molecular docking studies against Trypanosoma brucei's trypanothione reductase (TR) and Uridine Diphosphate Galactose 4'-Epimerase (UDP). The A. klaineana extracts (methanol, hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate) exhibited potential anti-trypanosomal activities with IC₅₀ values of 21.25 ± 0.755,4.35 ± 0.166,2.57 ± 0.153 and 22.92 ± 2.321 μg/mL respectively. Moreover, the methanolic crude extracts showed moderate cytotoxicity against HepG2 and PNT2 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 68.0 ± 2.05 and 78.7 ± 2.63 μg/mL respectively. LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 24 bioactive compounds with 5 being druglike. Risperidone, Ranolazine, Dihydro-7-Desacetyldeoxygedunin, 6 beta-Hydroxytriamcinolone acetonide, and Dimethylmatairesinol were identified as novel potential inhibitors of TR and UDP with binding affinities of -10.4, -7.9, -8.7, -8.4 and -7.1 kcal/mol respectively against TR and -10.8, -8.4, -8.4, -7.6 and -8.1 respectively against UDP. This study indicates that A. klaineana has potential antitrypanosomal properties and therefore may have the potential to be developed as a therapeutic intervention for treating African trypanosomiasis.

Keywords: Anopyxis klaineana; Antitrypanosomal activity; In-silico; LC-MS analysis; Trypanothione reductase; Uridine diphosphate galactose 4′-Epimerase.