Antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer activities of Clivia miniata (Lindl) roots, bulbs, and aerial parts: In-vitro and in-silico studies

Abstract

Clivia miniata (Lindl) is a member of the family Amaryllidaceae known for its chemically diverse alkaloids with a wide range of biological activities. Many reports revealed a direct role of oxidative stress in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Meanwhile, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE-1) is a molecular target for the treatment of AD. We aimed to investigate C. miniata root, bulb, and aerial part chemical profiling, antioxidant, BACE-1, and AChE enzyme inhibitory activities. Results showed that the total root had the most potent radical scavenging activity as compared to the total bulb and aerial part, respectively. Ethanol root extract had the most potent BACE-1 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.02 ± 0.001 µg/mL) as compared to the bulb and aerial part (IC50 = 0.93 ± 0.13, 1.80 ± 0.24 µg/mL), respectively. Moreover, the total root extract mitigated AChE enzyme activity more than total bulb and aerial fractions with IC50 values of (0.06 ± 0.02, 0.58 ± 0.3, and 1.89 ± 0.42 µg/mL, respectively. Bioassay-guided acid-base fractionation confirmed superior BACE-1 inhibitory activity of the root fractions particularly, methylene chloride and ethyl acetate fractions with (IC50 values of 0.21 ± 0.60 and 0.01 ± 0.001 µg/mL), respectively. UPLC-MS analysis of ethyl acetate and methylene chloride fractions of C. miniata root led to the identification of eight phenolics and thirteen alkaloids, respectively. Molecular docking studies against BACE-1 protein revealed that lycorine di-hexoside, miniatine, and cliviaaline were the most promising hits. Further investigation of anti-AD potential of the aforementioned small molecules is required.