Phenolic Compound, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and In Silico Studies of Extracts from the Aerial Parts of Lactuca saligna L.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are considered a major source for discovering novel effective drugs. To our knowledge, no studies have reported the chemical composition and biological activities of Moroccan Lactuca saligna extracts. In this context, this study aims to characterize the polyphenolic compounds distributed in hydro-methanolic extracts of L. saligna and evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activities; in addition, in silico analysis based on molecular docking and ADMET was performed to predict the antibacterial activity of the identified phenolic compounds. Our results showed the identification of 29 among 30 detected phenolic compounds with an abundance of dicaffeoyltartaric acid, luteolin 7-glucoronide, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid with 472.77, 224.30, 196.79, and 171.74 mg/kg of dried extract, respectively. Additionally, antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) assay showed interesting antioxidant activity. Moreover, the results showed remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 1.30 ± 0.31 and 10.41 ± 0.23 mg/mL. Furthermore, in silico analysis identified three compounds, including Apigenin 7-O-glucuronide, Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, and 3-p-Coumaroylquinic acid as potent candidates for developing new antibacterial agents with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. Hence, L. saligna can be considered a source of phytochemical compounds with remarkable activities, while further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to explore the main biological activities of this plant.

Harnessing the Power of Polyphenols: A New Frontier in Disease Prevention and Therapy

“…One research group investigated the chemical composition and biological activities of Moroccan Lactuca saligna extracts. These scientists characterized the polyphenolic compounds present in the hydro-methanolic extracts and assessed their antioxidant and antibacterial effects [ 144 ]. A total of 29 phenolic compounds were identified, including dicaffeoyltartaric acid, luteolin 7-glucuronide, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid.…”

“…Computational analyses pointed out that these compounds could function as optimal candidates for the production of groundbreaking antibacterial agents. Further investigations through in vitro and in vivo studies are essential to elucidate the primary biological effects of these plants [ 144 , 145 ]. A literature review compiling diverse polyphenols effective against S. aureus strains indicated that flavonoids were particularly potent against clinical isolates.…”