Microemulsion of Medicago marina Essential Oil: In Vitro Evaluation of Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, Anticoagulant Effects, and In Silico Studies Involving Molecular Docking and ADME Prediction

Abstract

This work characterizes microemulsions of Medicago marina essential oil and evaluates their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anticoagulant effects. Medicago marina L. aerial parts essential oil was hydro-distilled and analyzed by gas chromatography-FID and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the first time from the Tunisian chemotype. The microemulsion was prepared using an oil/water formulation with a biopolymer (Arabic gum) and surfactant (Tween 20). Antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated using the microbroth dilution method, while anticoagulant activity was tested in vitro using prothrombin time (PT) and aPTT tests. Eventually, the binding affinities and molecule’s interactions of the main chemicals with the operational locations of C (30) carotenoid dehydrosqualene synthase and cytidine deaminase were explored. The essential oil contained 71 compounds of which 87.6% were identified. Major compounds were [Formula: see text]-ionone (17.67%), 1-methyleugenol (10.75%), eugenol (8.86%), [Formula: see text]-damascenone (4.33%), and [Formula: see text]-humulene (4.32%). A microemulsion with a diameter of 1.63 [Formula: see text] m, a polydispersity index of 0.17, a zeta potential of –40.8 mV and a pH of 6 was obtained and it showed the highest antibacterial potential against a multitude of microbes, with low MICs varying between 0.406 mg/mL and 3.25 mg/mL. Significant antibiofilm activity was observed with over 80% inhibition at 4 × MIC concentration. It showed better anticoagulant activity than heparin, with PT and aPTT values of 19.5 s and 57 s, respectively, at 10 mg/mL. Molecular docking showed that “([Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-ionone” had the highest binding scores. Notable pharmacokinetic and drug-like qualities were found in the obtained molecules after establishing ADME profiling. As a result, Medicago marina L. Essential oil microemulsion can be used in food processing as a preservative.