Phytochemical analysis, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic properties and molecular docking studies of bioactive compounds in Ottelia alismoides (L.) pers. Against breast cancer proteins

Abstract

Plants provide compounds that can be used to treat diseases, and in silico methods help to expedite drug discovery while reducing costs. This study explored the phytochemical profile of methanol extract of O. alismoides using GC-MS to identify potential bioactive compounds. Autodock 4.2.6. was employed for molecular docking evaluation of the efficacy of these identified compounds against Estrogen Receptor Alpha (ERα), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), proteins. Additionally, the ADMET (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity) properties of the compounds were predicted using the SwissADME online tool. The preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, and steroids. During the GC-MS analysis, seven compounds were identified, and drug-likeness prediction of these compounds showed good pharmacokinetic properties having high gastrointestinal absorption, and orally bioavailable. The molecular docking studies exhibited promising binding affinities of bioactive compounds against all target proteins. Specifically, the compounds Tricyclo[5.2.1.0(2,6)]decan-10-ol and 2,2,6-Trichloro-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-1-carboxamide demonstrated the highest binding affinities with the ERα (-6.3 and - 6.0 k/cal), HER2 (-5.6 and - 6.1 k/cal), and EGFR (-5.4 and - 5.4 k/cal), respectively. These findings suggest the potential of O. alismoides as a source for developing new cancer therapeutics. The study highlights the effectiveness of in silico approaches for accelerating drug discovery from natural sources and paves the way for further exploration of these promising compounds.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-024-00227-y.

Keywords: Ethyl palmitate and drug-likeness properties; Molecular Docking; Ottelia alismoides; Palmitic acid.

Fig. 1

GC–MS chromatogram of the methanol extract of O. alismoides

Fig. 2

3D Structure of Bioactive compounds in O. alismoides (a) 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol; (b) 2-Decynoic acid; (c) Tricyclo[5.2.1.0 (2,6)]decan-10-ol; (d) 4-Nonyne; (e) Palmitic Acid; (f) Ethyl palmitate and (g) 2,2,6-Trichloro-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-1-carboxamide

Fig. 3

3D Structure of Target Proteins (a) Estrogen Receptor Alpha (PDB ID: 3ERT), (b) Epidermal Growth Factor, (b) Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2

Fig. 4

3D and 2D Structure of Estrogen Receptor Alpha with (a) 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol; (b) 2-Decynoic acid; (c)Tricyclo[5.2.1.0 (2,6)]decan-10-ol; (d) 4-Nonyne (e) Palmitic Acid; (f) Ethyl palmitate; and (g) 2,2,6-Trichloro-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-1-carboxamide

Fig. 5

3D and 2D Structure of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor with (a) 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol; (b) 2-Decynoic acid; (c)Tricyclo[5.2.1.0 (2,6)]decan-10-ol; (d) 4-Nonyne; (e) Palmitic Acid; (f) Ethyl palmitate; and (g) 2,2,6-Trichloro-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-1-carboxamide

Fig. 6

3D and 2D Structure of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 with (a) 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol; (b) 2-Decynoic acid; (c)Tricyclo[5.2.1.0 (2,6)]decan-10-ol; (d) 4-Nonyne (e) Palmitic Acid; (f) Ethyl palmitate; and (g) 2,2,6-Trichloro-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-1-carboxamide