Comprehensive Biological Potential, Phytochemical Profiling Using GC-MS and LC-ESI-MS, and In-Silico Assessment of Strobilanthes glutinosus Nees: An Important Medicinal Plant

Abstract

Plants of the genus <i>Strobilanthes</i> have notable use in folklore medicines as well as being used for pharmacological purposes. The present work explored the biological predispositions of <i>Strobilanthes glutinosus</i> and attempted to accomplish a comprehensive chemical profile through GC-MS of different fractions concerning polarity (chloroform and <i>n</i>-butanol) and LC-ESI-MS of methanolic extract by both positive and negative ionization modes. The biological characteristics such as antioxidant potential were assessed by applying six different methods. The potential for clinically relevant enzyme (α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and tyrosinase) inhibition was examined. The DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and FRAP results revealed that the methanol fraction presented efficient results. The phosphomolybdenum assay revealed that the <i>n</i>-hexane fraction showed the most efficient results, while maximum metal chelation potential was observed for the chloroform fraction. The GC-MS profiling of <i>n</i>-butanol and chloroform fractions revealed the existence of several (110) important compounds presenting different classes (fatty acids, phenols, alkanes, monoterpenes, diterpenes, sesquiterpenoids, and sterols), while LC-ESI-MS tentatively identified the presence of 44 clinically important secondary metabolites. The <i>n</i>-hexane fraction exhibited the highest potential against α-amylase (497.98 mm ACAE/g extract) and α-glucosidase (605.85 mm ACAE/g extract). Significant inhibitory activity against tyrosinase enzyme was displayed by fraction. Six of the prevailing compounds from the GC-MS study (lupeol, beta-amyrin, stigmasterol, gamma sitosterol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, and <i>n</i>-hexadecanoic acid) were modelled against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes along with a comparison of binding affinity to standard acarbose, while three compounds identified through LC-ESI-MS were docked to the mushroom tyrosinase enzyme and presented with significant biding affinities. Thus, it is assumed that <i>S. glutinosus</i> demonstrated effective antioxidant and enzyme inhibition prospects with effective bioactive molecules, potentially opening the door to a new application in the field of medicine.