Evaluating in-vitro antioxidant and in-silico anti-inflammatory potential of Diosgenin

Abstract

Chronic diseases are inextricably tied up with oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Oxidative stress triggers an antioxidant imbalance that elicits a multitude of inflammatory reactions, inevitably culminating in death-causing diseases by integrating free radicals. Rising research approaches intensely focus on identifying natural antioxidants with efficient anti-inflammatory potency. Diosgenin is a potent bioactive therapeutic candidate spotted in Fenugreek and Yams and has varied pharmacological properties. Concerning the therapeutic importance of this compound, the current study intends to explore its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. The antioxidant ability of diosgenin was tested by using free radical scavenging assays such as 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), 2, 2’-Azinobis-(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS●+), Hydroxyl radical and Superoxide anion. Furthermore, the screening of Diosgenin’s anti-inflammatory potential was done by ligand interactions via Autodock software to explore its binding affinity with inflammatory receptors (NF-κB and TNF-α). On comparing this with standard ascorbic acid, Diosgenin has nearly equivalent IC50 values. The IC50 values of Diosgenin and Ascorbic acid were found to be 48.24 μg/mL and 47.93 μg/mL (DPPH), 41.18 μg/mL and 40.19 μg/mL (ABTS●+), 50.14 μg/mL and 48.99 μg/mL (Hydroxyl radical), 44.33 μg/mL and 50.02 μg/mL (Superoxide anion). Additionally, Diosgenin has good binding scores (-7.7, -9.8 kcal/mol) with target inflammatory receptors (NF-κB and TNF-α). In-vitro and in-silico modeling proves that diosgenin has effectively high antioxidant and antiinflammatory potency. Hereby, diosgenin seems to be a promising antioxidant against inflammatory diseases.