Multimodal Evaluation of Tropical Plant: Phytochemical Characterization, Nanoparticle Synthesis, Enzyme Inhibition, and in Silico Docking Insights Into Antimicrobial and Anti-Obesity Therapeutics

Physalis angulata L. (Solanaceae) is a medicinally importantherb traditionally used for treating infections, inflammation,and metabolic disorders. The present study employed anintegrated experimental and in silico approach to explore itsphytochemical profile, nanoparticle synthesis potential, enzymeinhibitory activity, antimicrobial efficacy, and molecularmechanisms. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemicalanalyses of the methanolic leaf extract revealed the presence ofdiverse secondary metabolites including flavonoids, terpenoids,alkaloids, tannins, phenols, saponins, and glycosides, indicatinga strong bioactive composition. The extract successfullymediated the green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs),confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy (SPR peak at 290nm),FTIR (functional groups of proteins and phenolics as reducingand capping agents), XRD (crystalline FCC copper structure,25–30 nm), EDX (Cu 67.18 wt%), and SEM (sphericalmorphology, 104–124 nm). The synthesized CuNPs exhibited significant dose-dependentinhibitory activity against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase, indicating antiobesityand antidiabetic properties. Furthermore, CuNPs demonstrated antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as antifungal efficacy against Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus. In silico profiling via the IMPPAT database identified key steroidal lactones—Physalin B, D, F, G, I, and 14α-hydroxyixocarpanolide. SwissTargetPrediction and molecular docking revealed strong interactions of Physalin B with protein Q00796 and 14α-hydroxyixocarpanolide with P28845, supported by favorable binding affinities (≤ −7 kcal/mol). STRING-based pathway enrichment analysis highlighted associations with C-type lectin receptor and TRP channel signaling (antimicrobial response) and AGE-RAGE and carbohydrate metabolism pathways (antidiabetic regulation). Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Physalis angulata possesses a multimodal therapeutic potential through synergistic bioactivity of its phytochemicals and their nanoparticle conjugates. The study provides mechanistic insights into its dual antimicrobial and anti-obesity action, establishing a foundation for further in vivo validation and formulation development in phytomedicine and nanotherapeutics.