Inhibitory Activity of Saussurea costus Extract against Bacteria, Candida, Herpes, and SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 460
• Main Authors: Idriss, Hajo, Siddig, Babeker, González-Maldonado, Pamela, Elkhair, H M, Alakhras, Abbas I, Abdallah, Emad M, Elzupir, Amin O, Sotelo, Pablo H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Anti-infective agents; antibacterial; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antiviral activity; Antiviral agents; Candida; Candida albicans; Chemical compounds; Compositae; Coronaviruses; Cost analysis; COVID-19; Drug resistance; E coli; GC-MS; Health aspects; Herbal medicine; Materia medica, Vegetable; Medical research; Medicinal herbs; Medicinal plants; Molecular docking; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Physiological aspects; Phytochemicals; Plant extracts; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; SARS-CoV-2; Saussurea costus; Selectivity; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Sterols; Terpenes; Testing; Viral diseases; Saudi Arabia; Candida albicans; GC-MS; HSV-1; SARS-CoV-2; Saussurea costus; antibacterial; phytochemicals
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12030460

Medicinal herbs have long been utilized to treat various diseases or to relieve the symptoms of some ailments for extended periods. The present investigation demonstrates the phytochemical profile, molecular docking, anti- activity, and anti-viral activity of the acetic acid extract. GC-MS analysis of the extract revealed the presence of 69 chemical compounds. The chemical compounds were alkaloids (4%), terpenoids (79%), phenolic compounds (4%), hydrocarbons (7%), and sterols (6%). Molecular docking was used to study the inhibitory activity of 69 identified compounds against SARS-CoV-2. In total, 12 out of 69 compounds were found to have active properties exhibiting SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. The binding scores of these molecules were significantly low, ranging from -7.8 to -5.6 kcal/mol. The interaction of oxatricyclo [20.8.0.0(7,16)] triaconta-1(22),7(16),9,13,23,29-hexaene with the active site is more efficient. Furthermore, the extract exhibited significant antimicrobial activity (in vitro) against , which was the most susceptible microorganism, followed by , , , , and , respectively. On the other hand, its antiviral activity was evaluated against HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, and the results showed a significant positive influence against HSV-1 (EC = 82.6 g/mL; CC = 162.9 g/mL; selectivity index = 1.9). In spite of this, no impact could be observed in terms of inhibiting the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.