Evaluation of Biological Potency of two Endemic Species Integrated with in vitro and in silico Approches: LC–MS/MS Analysis of the Plants

Abstract

In the present study, the main phytochemical components of endemic plant extracts and inhibitory potency were screened related to different biological activities. Seven compounds were quantified, and cyanidin‐3‐o‐glucoside was the dominant secondary metabolite in plant extracts. The extract from P. asiae‐minoris (PAM) exhibited the best enzyme inhibitory activity against BChE (1.73±0.23 µg mLˉˡ), tyrosinase (2.47±0.28 µg mLˉˡ), α‐glucosidase (5.28±0.66 µg mLˉˡ), AChE (8.66±0.86 µg mLˉˡ), and ACE (19.27±1.02 µg mLˉˡ). In vitro antioxidant assay, PAM extract possessed the highest activity in respect of DPPH radical scavenging (24.29±0.23 µg/mL), ABTS•+ scavenging (13.50±0.27 µg/mL) and FRAP reducing power (1.56±0.01 μmol TE/g extract). MIC values ranged from 1 ‐ 8 mg/mL for antibacterial ability, and the PAM extract showed a stronger effect for B. subtilis, E. faecalis, and E. coli at 1 mg/mL. The antiproliferative ability of AB extract demonstrated a suppressive effect (IC50: 70.26 µg/mL) for pancreatic cancer cell lines. According to the affinity scores, the cyanidin‐3‐o‐glucoside demonstrated the lowest docking scores against ACE, AChE, BChE, and collagenase. It was found that the PAM exhibited better inhibitory capabilities than A. bartinense. The P. asiae‐minoris, reported to be in the Critically Endangered (CR) category, should be conserved by culturing, considering its biological abilities.