Pretreatment of antioxidative Hodgsonia macrocarpa leaves attenuates anxiety, depression, inflammation, and pain: an in vitro, in vivo, and in silico study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Hodgsonia macrocarpa (Blume) Cogn., known locally in Southeast Asia as bonyo kumra, is a climber traditionally used to treat a wide range of ailments, including headache, body pain, inflammation, fever, wounds, and ulcers. However, experimental assessments of these bioactivities are scarce.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This work uses a variety of in vitro, in vivo, and in silico techniques to examine the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuropharmacological, and analgesic capabilities of H. macrocarpa leaf methanol extract.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The methanolic extract of H. macrocarpa leaves (MEHML) was obtained by extracting H. macrocarpa leaf powder with methanol. GC-MS analysis was performed to determine potential bioactive compounds. Following qualitative and quantitative phytochemical profiling through standard methods, commonly used in vitro assays were employed to detect anti-inflammatory activity. Anxiolytic, antidepressant, and pain-attenuating potential were investigated on Swiss albino mice. Finally, GC-MS-identified compounds were submitted to an in silico study.

RESULTS

Phytochemical profiling suggested the presence of a variety of constituents, including alkaloids, phenols, tannins, carbohydrates, and flavonoids. Significant antioxidant activity was observed in MEHML due to significant amounts of phenolics, flavonoids, beta-carotene, and lycopene, with promising radical scavenging activity (IC 7.762 ± 0.14 μg/mL). Moreover, substantial dose-dependent anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects were detected in behavioral assays (p < 0.01-0.001). Noteworthy anti-inflammatory and analgesic (p < 0.001) activities were displayed in in vitro and in vivo assays, respectively. The in-silico study corroborated the biological activities, revealing strong binding interactions of GC-MS-identified compounds, including (E, E)-pyrrolidine 1-(1-oxo-10,12-octadecadienyl) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, with target proteins, thereby supporting the experimental findings.

CONCLUSIONS

MEHML holds significant analgesic and neuropharmacological potential, as well as promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, validated by in silico investigations.