Abstract
Plants possess an abundant reservoir of compounds that can be harnessed and repurposed as therapeutic agents for the management of existing and emerging disease conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This study aimed to isolate and characterize bioactive phytochemicals from the ethyl acetate fraction of Ficus sur hydroethanol stem bark extract (FSSE) and to carry out in silico evaluation of their activity against key protein targets implicated in BPH pathogenesis. F. sur stem bark was collected from its natural habitat, authenticated, extracted, and partitioned into different solvent fractions (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n- butanol). Sequential open column chromatography and preparatory thin-layer chromatography of the ethyl acetate fraction led to the isolation and purification of eight compounds, which were characterized by spectroscopic analysis (UV, FTIR, 1 H and 13 C NMR, and DEPTQ experiments). An in silico molecular docking study was conducted using Autodock Vina, while ADMETlab 3.0 was employed to predict the physicochemical properties and drug-likeness of the isolated compounds. One pentacyclic triterpenoid, α -amyrin acetate (110 mg), and one phytosteroid, β -sitosterol (340 mg), from amongst the eight isolated compounds were characterized. In silico analysis indicated that both compounds exhibited binding affinities and physicochemical profiles comparable to those of the reference compound, finasteride, across four protein targets implicated in benign prostatic hyperplasia development. The study has established that F. sur stem bark extract is rich in bioactive compounds that can be explored for the discovery of new drug candidates to target BPH and other urinary-related disease conditions.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Eight compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Ficus sur stem bark.
- Organ / stage
- stem barke1
- Outcome
- isolation and purification of eight compoundse0
- Value
- eight compoundse0
Ficus surOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ethyl acetate fraction led to the isolation and purification of eight compounds”
e1“F. sur stem bark was collected from its natural habitat”
Claim · model-written summary
The bark fraction contained isolated α-amyrin acetate at 110 mg.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“α -amyrin acetate (110 mg)”
e1“F. sur stem bark was collected from its natural habitat”
Claim · model-written summary
The bark fraction contained isolated β-sitosterol at 340 mg.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“β -sitosterol (340 mg)”
e1“F. sur stem bark was collected from its natural habitat”
Claim · model-written summary
α-Amyrin acetate and β-sitosterol had simulated binding affinities and physicochemical profiles comparable to finasteride across four BPH targets.
- Compound
- α -amyrin acetatee1
- Outcome
- binding affinities and physicochemical profilese0
- Comparator
- finasteridee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both compounds exhibited binding affinities and physicochemical profiles comparable to those of the reference compound, finasteride, across four protein targets implicated in benign prostatic hyperplasia development”
e1“α -amyrin acetate (110 mg), and one phytosteroid, β -sitosterol (340 mg)”
e2“F. sur stem bark was collected from its natural habitat”