Periplaneta americana L. a potential source of traditional medicine: chemometric analysis, in vitro and in silico study

Abstract

‘Mayurbhanj is the ethnic dominant tribal population district in Odisha, India. The triabl's of Mayurbhanj depends on traditional medicines since time immemorial for health-related issues. Due to the imperative ethnic claim of traditional healers, the financial stringency of the patient community and the necessity to produce a better therapeutic effect has led to investigate ethno zoological sources and to find out the biochemical moiety responsible for the healing process. Considering the ethnic communities’ acceptability of the zoological source as traditional medicine, the current evidence-based research study is conducted to investigate the biochemical moiety present in Periplaneta americana, responsible for therapeutic activity. The whole powdered Periplaneta americana was extracted using maceration techniques with n-hexane and methanol as solvent. The obtained extracts were subjected to GC-MS analysis to identify the biochemical moiety. To check the potential biological activity, an in-vitro antimicrobial test was carried out in both turbidimetry and a viable count method against E. coli. Moreover, the obtained biochemical molecules were exposed to in silico studies for their binding modes and their affinity using Discovery studio software. The major compounds were found to be hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester, n-hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, octadecanoic acid along with other minor constituents. The maximum inhibitory activity of n-hexane and methanol extract against S. aureus at a concentration of 400 µg/mL was found to be 89 and 87%, respectively. The binding models of almost all identified compounds confer very good binding affinities with some key and strong non-covalent interactions with various amino acid residues of receptor active site pocket, which predict the compounds to be potent inhibitors of various infectious bacteria. These findings suggested that the hexane extract of P. americana could be exploited as a potential natural source.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Periplaneta americana
• turbidometry
• viable count

Acknowledgements

The present article submitted by the author is the Original research findings for the purpose of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) research work of Mrs. Suchismeeta Behera, Ph.D. Research Scholar (Registration No.05-Zoology-2016-2017 issued by Exam. VIII/5991/2017 dated 20/07/2017) registered at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha under the guidance of Prof. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty on the topic ‘Ethnozoological Practices Among Tribals of Mayurbhanj District of Odisha’. The corresponding author herself visited the research geographical area of Mayurbhanj District and collected the species for further studies. The authors are grateful to Dr. Siba Prasad Parida the Department of Zoology, Centurion University of technology and management for identifying the species and for providing software facilities for in silico studies, KIIT University’s Technological Bio Incubator for providing GCMS facilities, and HOD, Department of Zoology, Utkal University for providing the laboratory and library facilities.

Disclosure statement

The author declares that they have no conflict of interest.