Lab Anim Res.  2024 Mar;40(1):37-50. 10.1186/s42826-024-00191-w.

In silico, anti‑inflammatory and acute toxicological evaluation of an indigenous medicinal plant Pterospermum rubiginosum using Sprague‑Dawley rats

•  Anish R
• Nair A
• Saraswathy V
• Kalpana V
•  Shyma R

• KMID: 2553470
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s42826-024-00191-w

Abstract

Background
Pterospermum rubiginosum has been traditionally used by the tribal inhabitants of Southern India for treating bone fractures and as a local anti-inflammatory agent; however, experimental evidence to support this traditional usage is lacking. The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical characterization,In silico and in vitro anti-inflammatory evaluation, followed by in vivo toxicological screening of P. rubiginosum methanolic bark extract (PRME).
Results
The LCMS evaluation revealed the presence of 80 significant peaks; nearly 50 molecules were identified using the LCMS database. In silico analysis showed notable interactions with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In vitro gene expression study supported the docking results with significant down-regulation of iNOS, IL-6, and IL-10. PRME was administered orally to the SD rats and was found to be non-toxic up to 1000 mg/kg body weight for 14 days. The antioxidant enzymes catalase and sodium dismutase exhibited an increased value in PRMEadministered groups, possibly due to the diverse phytochemical combinations in bark extract.
Conclusions
PRME administration significantly downregulated the gene expression of inflammatory markers, such as iNOS, IL-6, and IL-10. The molecular docking analysis of iNOS and IL-6 supports the in vitro study. In vivo toxicological study of PRME in SD rats was found to be non-toxic up to a concentration of 1000 mg/kg body weight for 14 days.

Keyword

Anti-inflammatory; iNOS; LCMS; Molecular docking; Pterospermum rubiginosum; Sprague Dawley rats