Senna Tora (L.) Roxb. Leaves Are the Sources of Bioactive Molecules Against Oxidant, Inflammation, and Bacterial Infection: an in Vitro, in Vivo, and in Silico Study

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Senna tora (L.) Roxb. is an ethno-medicinal herb used by rural and tribal people of the Satpura region of Madhya Pradesh in India and the Phatthalung Province of Thailand for treating rheumatism, bronchitis, ringworm, itches, leprosy, dyspepsia, liver and heart disorders, and it is also used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.Aim of the study: To investigate the potential of Senna tora (L.) Roxb. as a source of drug candidates against oxidants, inflammation, and bacterial infection.Materials and methods: Phytochemical screening and GC–MS were performed to characterize the compounds in the ethyl acetate extract of Senna tora (L.) Roxb. leaves (EAESTL). The in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of EAESTL were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)- and H2O2 -scavenging tests, bovine serum albumin (BSA) denaturation, red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis inhibition, and agar-well diffusion methods. Cytotoxicity was estimated by brine shrimp lethality, while acute toxicity was evaluated by oral delivery of the extract to mice. In silico antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities were anticipated by the Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) program. The pharmacokinetics related to ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and toxicity tests were determined by admetSAR2 and ADMETlab2 web servers, and drug-able properties were assessed by the SwissADME server. Results: The preliminary phytochemical screening indicated the existence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, triterpenoids, saponins, steroids, alkaloids, glycosides and reducing sugar. GC–MS identified fifty-nine phytochemicals that support the type of compounds identified by phytochemical screening. EAESTL exhibited dose-dependent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities without any adverse effects or fluctuations in body weight. The PASS program predicted that the identified phytochemicals have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. Among 51 phytochemicals, 17 showed good ADME, and 8 fulfilled drug-able properties without toxicity. Altogether, four phytochemicals, viz., benzyl alcohol, 3-(hydroxy-phenyl-methyl)-2,3-dimethyl-octan-4-one, phenylethyl alcohol and 2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo [3.1.1] heptane-3-ol, showed good pharmacokinetics and drug-able properties without toxicity, along with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities.Conclusion: The obtained results suggest that Senna tora (L.) Roxb. leaves contain bioactive phytochemicals that have the potential to fight against oxidants, inflammation and bacterial infection as drug candidates.