Phytochemical profiles and novel biofunctions of Dillenia ovata Wall. ex Hook.f. et Thomson: A Vietnamese indigenous medicinal plant

Dillenia ovata Wall. ex Hook. f. et Thomson (DOWHT)-an indigenous medicinal plant collected in the Central Highland of Vietnam-has been utilized by medical folks for ages. However, almost related scientific evidence still has not been clarified. This study aimed to report the phytochemical profiles and novel potent biofunctions of DOWHT. The testing bioactivities of different parts used of DOWHT indicated this herbal demonstrated moderated inhibition against alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, while it showed potent anti-oxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Of these, the inhibition against the key enzymes targeting anti-diabetes and Alzheimer's disease was notably reported for the first time. The phytochemical profiles of all the parts used of DOWHT were investigated via GC-MS and UHPLC analysis. Totally, 46 compounds, including 30 volatiles (compounds 1-30) and 16 phenolics (compounds 31-46), were newly identified from DOWHT extracts. In this work, various volatiles and phenolics were newly found in this herbal species. In the docking study, some major phenolics including Epigallocatechin gallate (34), Epicatechin gallate (36), Vitexin (37), and Apigetrin (41) possess DS values (- 12.5 to - 13.3 kcal/mol) better than Berberine chloride (- 12.1 kcal/mol). Moreover, almost tested metabolites comply with the drug-likeness properties of Lipkin's rules prediction and nontoxicity via the ADMET test. The results suggest the herb DOWHT may be a potential source for drug discovery and these in silico results may be good reference information for further in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Automated summary

This study reported the phytochemical profiles and bioactivities of the medicinal plant Dillenia ovata Wall. ex Hook. f. et Thomson (DOWHT). The bioactivities testing indicated that DOWHT showed inhibition against key enzymes related to diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, and the phytochemical profiles of DOWHT were investigated. In silico results suggested that DOWHT could be a potential source for drug discovery.