EVALUATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CLITORIA TERNATAE Linn. USING IN VITRO ASSAY AND COMPUTATIONAL DOCKING

ABSTRACTInflammation and oxidative stress are closely interconnected processes implicated in numerous chronicdiseases, and the adverse-effect profile of conventional NSAIDs and synthetic antioxidants has promptedinterest in plant-derived alternatives such as Clitoriaternatea Linn. (butterfly pea), a traditionally usedAyurvedic medicinal plant rich in anthocyanins, flavonoids and other phenolic phytoconstituents. This studyevaluated the phytochemical composition and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of a hydroglycerine (70:30) flower extract of C. ternatea, obtained by cold maceration, using the hydrogen peroxide(H₂O₂) scavenging assay (vs ascorbic acid), the bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein denaturation assay (vsdiclofenac sodium) and the egg albumin denaturation assay (vs aspirin) across concentrations of 100–500µg/mL, supported by molecular docking of identified phytoconstituents against chitotriosidase (PDB: 1HKK)and VCAM-1 (PDB: 1VCA) using AutoDock Vina. The extract yielded 7% w/w and tested positive foralkaloids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, saponins, terpenoids and phenols. H₂O₂ scavenging increasedconcentration-dependently, reaching 74.0% at 500 µg/mL (ascorbic acid: 88.5%); protein denaturationinhibition reached 80.3% (diclofenac sodium: 83.7%); and albumin denaturation inhibition reached 76.3%(aspirin: 79.9%). Molecular docking identified ibogamine-18-carboxylic acid, 12-methoxy-, methyl ester asthe top-scoring ligand (-7.30 kcal/mol against 1HKK; -4.73 kcal/mol against 1VCA), outperformingdiclofenac (-5.04 and -2.70 kcal/mol, respectively). These findings indicate that the hydro-glycerine flowerextract of C. ternatea exhibits concentration-dependent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activitycomparable to standard drugs, with molecular docking supporting a plausible mechanistic basis for theseeffects, positioning the plant as a promising candidate for further development as a natural anti-inflammatoryand antioxidant agent pending in vivo and toxicological validation.