Phytochemical Screening, Quantification, FT-IR Analysis, and In Silico Characterization of Potential Bio-active Compounds Identified in HR-LC/MS Analysis of the Polyherbal Formulation from Northeast India

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, leading to many undesirable health consequences. There are many herbal formulations, traditionally used by the Northeast Indian population for disease management. These formulations require scientific validations to optimize their efficacy and increase their popularity. In this study, we attempt to scientifically validate a polyherbal formulation traditionally used for the management of diabetes through preliminary phytochemicals investigation, characterization of potential phytochemicals using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, high-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HR-LC/MS) analysis, and in silico characterization of physiochemical, drug-likeness, and pharmacokinetic properties of identified phytochemical compounds. Qualitative phytochemical screening of various extracts of the formulation confirmed the presence of alkaloids, phenols and tannins, flavonoids, fats, and oils. Phytochemical quantification of the various extracts showed that the highest total phenolic content is present in the ethanolic extract (35.61 ± 0.15 mg GAE/g), while the highest total flavonoid content is present in the chloroform extract (76.33 ± 2.96 mg QE/g) of the formulation. FT-IR spectroscopic analysis revealed various characteristic band values with various functional groups in the formulation extract such as amines, alcohol, fluoro compounds, phenol, alkane, alkene, and conjugated acid groups. HR-LC/MS analyses identified nearly 51 compounds including 9 small peptides and 42 potential phytochemical compounds. In silico SwissADME analysis of identified compounds revealed 25 potential compounds following Lipinski's rule and showing drug-like characteristics, and out of them, 16 compounds exhibited good oral bioavailability, as revealed in the bioavailability radar. The overall study showed that the presented polyherbal formulation is enriched with bio-active phytochemical compounds with good pharmaceutical values.