Evaluation of safety, anti-allergic and chemopreventive effects of Passiflora foetida: in-vivo and in-silico studies Abstract:

The study has been designed to investigate the crude ethanolic extract of Passiflora foetida leaves for its phytochemicals and selected pharmacological activities including toxicity study, anti-allergic, and chemoprevative potentials and profiling of its bioactive compounds by HPLC and GC-MS analysis. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking with specific receptor proteins. Phytochemical analysis of Passiflora foetida leaves revealed the presence of flavonoids, reducing sugar, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids. In the acute toxicity study of the ethanolic extract, there was no mortality or any sign of behavioral abnormalities was observed after oral administration up to the dose of 3000 mg/kg body weight in Swiss albino mice. Chronic toxicity study also did not show any mortality or any abnormalities in blood parameters like SGPT, SGOT, bilirubin, creatinine, lipid profile etc. in mice. These results reveal the safety of this plant for human use. Chemopreventive role of this plant was evaluated in DMBA-Croton oil induced skin carcinogenic mice. The oral administration of ethanolic extract of Passiflora foetida delayed onset of tumor incidence as well as showed a dose-dependent inhibition in tumor burden, tumor size and cumulative number of papillomas as compared to the carcinogen control. Furthermore significant increase in GSH and SOD concentration were also observed in both tumor and liver mass in extract treated groups compared to carcinogen control mice. The extract also significantly suppressed the elevated level of different blood parameters like total and differential count of WBC, SGPT, SGOT, bilirubin, creatinine, lipid profile etc. compared to carcinogenic mice. GC-MS and HPLC analysis revealed different active compounds among which rutin hydrate and myricetin demonstrated the best docking score − 8.0 and -7.1 kcal/mol against H1R whereas − 7.2 kcal/mol for standard drug cetirizine. Additionally, rutin hydrate and myrecetin exhibited best docking score -9.4 and -9.1 kcal/mol against tyrosine kinase. All these studies justify the therapeutic potentiality of Passiflora foetida. Further investigations will be required for the conformation of this therapeutic benefit as well as isolation of the active compounds for better drug development.

• Research Project