Unveiling the therapeutic potentialities and chemical characterization of methanolic Merremia vitifolia (Burm.f) Hallier f. stem extract: A Multi-faceted investigation via in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches
Preclinical study demonstrates multi-target therapeutic efficacy of Merremia vitifolia stem extract in rodent and in silico models, indicating broad medicinal utility.
Key Points
To evaluate the phytochemical profile and therapeutic activities—including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, neuropharmacological, and antidiarrheal properties—of methanolic Merremia vitifolia stem extract.
Conducted in vitro DPPH radical scavenging and protein denaturation assays to quantify antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions.
Assessed in vivo analgesic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, locomotor, and antidiarrheal effects in rodent models using formalin, writhing, swim, plus maze, and castor oil challenge tests.
Identified 15 bioactive constituents via GC-MS and evaluated their pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness, and target affinity via in silico docking and ADME/T profiling.
The extract exhibited an antioxidant IC50 of 74.97 μg/mL and achieved 77.17 ± 0.39% inhibition of protein denaturation at 500 μg/mL compared to standard drug inhibition (87.23 ± 0.30%).
All 15 identified compounds complied with Lipinski's rule of five and displayed higher binding affinities for target macromolecules than comparative standard drugs.