Harnessing natural Northwest Himalayan Plants Against Aspergillus and Mucor Species targeting lanosterol 14α-demethylase: Metabolic profiling, In Vitro and In Silico Insights for managing Aspergillosis and Mucormycosis

Traditionally, Vinca minor leaves were used to treat head problems. This includes poor memory, headaches, and dizziness. Hypoestes Phyllostachya plant is mostly grown as a houseplant today. Hypoestes species are Traditionally used to treat respiratory infections, malaria, and skin diseases. The roots and leaves of Salvia splendens are Traditionally used to treat colds and coughs. The leaves are also used to dress wounds and soothe itchy skin. Despite advances in pharmacology, invasive fungal diseases caused by Aspergillus and Mucorales remain devastatingly lethal. Thus this study was meticulously designed to evaluate phytochemical composition, anti-fungal activity of the methanol based extracts from Vinca minor ( VM ), Hypoestes Phyllostachya ( HP ) , and Salvia splendens (SS) which are primarily ornamental plants with some traditionally uses. Standard procedures were followed in the preparation of the crude methanol extracts. GC-MS analysis was used to identify tentative phytocompounds. Anti-fungal potential of extracts using food poisoning method against deadly fungus such as Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus , and Mucor indicus. Docking of major phytocompounds was done against LDM protein receptor using CBDOCK2 online tool. GC-MS analysis identified many phytocompounds in all medicinal plants. The major ones were 4-O-Methylmannose (31.14%) in VM, 3-n-Heptyl-7-methyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethyl)(41.47%) in HP, and alpha-D-Galactopyranoside, methyl in SS (17.75%). Among all, docking analysis revealed strong affinity of 3-n-Heptyl-7-methyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethyl) phytocompound against LDM having affinity -9.2 kcal/mol. Even while these docking data offer insightful information, further in-vitro confirmation is required. All extracts showed anti-fungal activity against aspergillosis, and mucormycosis causing fungal strains in an incubation-time and variety-dependent manner with MGI ranged from 20-70%. All things considered, this study highlights the potential of these natural substances as in anti-fungal treatment, opening the door for further experimental verification and clinical use.