Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties, and Molecular Docking of Major Compounds from Ocimum lamiifolium Leaves: A Common Home-Remedy Plant in Ethiopia
Shewarega Habtamu Haile, Melakuu Tesfaye Alemea, Tekalign Begna, Chuleui Jung, Aman DekeboIntroduction:
This study aimed to characterize the chemical and biological properties of Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. ex Benth. (family: Lamiaceae) leaf extracts and explore their potential applications.
Methods:
Plant leaves were extracted with ethanol via maceration and hydrodistillation, yielding 5.95% (w/w) and 2.25% (v/w) extracts, respectively. The chemical compositions were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assays, both the ethanolic extract and the essential oil were evaluated for antioxidant activity.
Results:
Thirty compounds, primarily monoterpenoids, accounted for 81.13% of the total components of the O. lamiifolium essential oil. 55 compounds were identified in the crude ethanolic extract, accounting for 99% of the total. Hydrocarbon terpenes were particularly abundant in the crude ethanolic extract. The plant extracts showed promising antioxidant activity, with the EO and EE extracts having IC50 values of 1.56 and 2.52 μg/mL, respectively, compared with the reference stand-ard ascorbic acid, which had an IC50 of 3.90 μg/mL.
Discussion:
Compared to the EO extract, the EE extract exhibited larger inhibition zones. The antimicrobial results suggest that the EE extract contains more active components, as proven by the GC-MS results. Molecular docking analysis of the three identified components revealed that δ-cadinene exhibited the highest binding affinity and formed hydrophobic interactions with 8 amino acids. This implies that these compounds may function as DNA gyrase inhibitors.
Conclusion:
O. lamiifolium extracts have potential applications as antibacterial and antioxidant agents.