Phytochemical stimulants for cancer therapeutics from Garcinia gummi-gutta: A prime research report

Abstract

Cancers and tumors grow day by day and alternate traditional-based medicines are in demand to nullify the toxicity and side effects caused by modern pharmacological compounds. The medicinal properties of plant-based Indian ethnic drugs make them extremely important in this category. Traditional uses of G. gummi-gutta include a variety of herbal and folk remedies. Different herbal parts are extracted, isolated their specific compounds are targeted for applications in modern medicinal research today. The fresh fruit of G. gummi-gutta was extracted by ethyl acetate and tested through phyto-chemical modes. Thin layer Chromatography (TLC) and Gas Chromatography Mass-Spectrometry (GC–MS) were used to purify and characterize bioactive compounds. Studies using antimicrobial agents were conducted on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutans. The MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was used to examine cellular cytotoxic activity. Software for BSP-SLIM molecular docking analysis was utilized together with in-silico virtual screening techniques. The receptor structure was retrieved from the protein databank (Structure of human Bcl-2) in a complex with an analog of ABT-737 (6QGG). Pymol was found to have the best ligand interactions. The protein's stability characteristics were confirmed and molecular dynamics were estimated using a programme called Dynomics. A preliminary qualitative phytochemical investigation revealed that the primary constituents of G. gummi-gutta include alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phenol, flavonoids, glycosides, and protein. The compound positions and Rf values were disclosed by the TLC technique. GC–MS technique revealed the presence of pure compounds whereas the antimicrobial activity was appraised through the disc diffusion method and the relative zone of inhibition was determined. The MTT test was used to measure the antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line at a dose of 7.8 μg/mL. The virtual screening using the in-silico method further revealed the protein-ligand interactions and molecular dynamics that assisted in identifying the protein functions and stability graphs. G. gummi-gutta has thus proven to be an anticancer medicinal herb both by in-vitro and in-silico studies. This could further be applied for drug designing and database creation leading to machine-based diagnostics and therapeutics.