Inhibitory effects of Ephedra alte on IL-6, hybrid TLR4, TNF-?, IL-1?, and extracted TLR4 receptors: in silico molecular docking

Inflammation is a physiological reaction of the immune system required to remove the presence of pathogenic germs. Many herbal-derived extracts and phytoconstituents show antiinflammatory effects. Among these natural phytoconstituents is Ephedra alte (E. alte), which shows pepsin enzyme inhibitory, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities. In this work, molecular docking study is conducted on five major human anti-inflammatory cytokines receptors (IL-6, hybrid TLR4, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and extracted TLR4) to explore the molecular recognition process and complex ligand-receptor interactions of E. alte phytoconstituents. Human TLR4 receptor has been computationally extracted, for the first time, from the hybrid TLR4 human and VLRB inshore hagfish. Among E. alte phytoconstituents, only beta-Sitosterol and Androstan-3-one have better LBE (Lowest Binding Energy) scores with inhibition constant (Ki) values than those of other tested compounds. The beta-Sitosterol and Androstan-3-one results indicate that these compounds could be efficient inhibitors of inflammation and reduce the oxidative stress by interfering with the activity of the five studied proteins.

Automated summary

Inflammation is a necessary immune system reaction to eliminate pathogens. Many herbal extracts and phytoconstituents have anti-inflammatory effects. This study focused on the molecular docking of E. alte phytoconstituents with human anti-inflammatory cytokine receptors. The results showed that beta-Sitosterol and Androstan-3-one had better binding energies and inhibition constants, suggesting their potential as effective anti-inflammatory compounds and reducers of oxidative stress.