In-silico anti-vitiligo activity of glycyrrhizin as potential IL-17 inhibitor and in-vitro antioxidant potential of isolated glycyrrhizin from G. glabra

Abstract

Vitiligo is a chronic skin de-pigmentation disease; decrease in melanocytes is responsible for vitiligo. Autoimmune diseases, oxidative stress, and biochemical, neuronal, genetic, and environmental factors are the main reasons for vitiligo pathogenesis. TH-17 generates Interleukin-17 (IL-17) which gives rise to autoimmune disorders such as vitiligo. Literature reveals that glycyrrhizin inhibits IL-17 and is considered a potent antioxidant. In the present experiment, we have determined the In-silico inhibition of IL-17 by glycyrrhizin with the help of PyRx (AutoDockVina) Software, and molecular dynamics was done for predicting interaction and binding affinity of glycyrrhizin with the IL-17 receptor. Afterward, glycyrrhizin was isolated from Glycyrrhiza glabra roots and confirmed through HPLC. We also estimated the antioxidant potential of isolated glycyrrhizin using different antioxidant methods such as Phosphomolybdate assay, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazine-hydrate), reducing power assay, free radical scavenging activity against the ascorbic acid standard. We also determined the pharmacognostic parameters such as Loss on drying (LOD) acid-insoluble ash, total ash, and water-soluble ash of dried root powder. The in-silico evaluation describes that glycyrrhizin exhibits a good docking score, and the molecular dynamic simulation study validated the activity of glycyrrhizin on IL-17. The antioxidant study shows glycyrrhizin possesses good antioxidant potential. The experiment shows LOD (0.52 % w/w), total ash (16.78 % w/w), acid-insoluble ash (1.932 % w/w), and water-soluble ash (1.213 % w/w), respectively. The in-silico docking study on IL-17 receptor and in-vitro antioxidant study reveal that glycyrrhizin is a better herbal choice for treating vitiligo. However, more in-vivo investigations are needed to confirm the above hypothesis.