Comparative analysis of the seasonal influence on polyphenolic content, antioxidant capacity, identification of bioactive constituents and hepatoprotective biomarkers by in silico docking analysis in Premna integrifolia L

The present study reports the effect of different seasons on polyphenol content and antioxidant potential of ethanolic, methanolic, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts of leaves, stems, and roots of Premna integrifolia. Ethyl acetate extract of leaves (EAEPI) collected in the rainy season showed potent antioxidant activity with highest total phenol (74.33 ± 2.26 µg/mg, gallic acid equivalent), and flavonoid (98.83 ± 0.26 µg/mg, rutin equivalent) content. Therefore, EAEPI extract was subjected to characterization by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and GC–MS analysis for the identification of active constituents. UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis in + ve ion mode revealed the presence of eight polyphenolic compounds namely quercetin-3-D-xyloside, kaempferol-3,7-O-bis-alpha-L-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin-3-Oglucoside, luteolin-3′,7-di-O-glucoside, eriodictyol-7-O-glucoside, syringetin-3-O-galactoside, petunidin-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside and vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside. GC–MS analysis confirmed the presence of 26 compounds with six major compounds viz; citronellol, phytol acetate, campesterol, squalene, stigmasterol, and hexadecanoic acid. These compounds are reported for the first time from P. integrifolia except phytol and stigmasterol. Our previous study validates the hepatoprotective potential of P. integrifolia but there was no idea about the bioactive compound responsible for the activity. So, in present work, the major compounds identified in spectrometry analysis were subjected to in silico docking against an important liver enzyme alanine amino transaminase to confirm its hepatoprotective properties. Docking analysis validates the presence of two hepatoprotective lead compounds stigmasterol, and campesterol, which satisfy the drug-likeness criteria with good absorption, distribution, metabolism, and toxicity properties. Thus, present work gives a clear insight about the influence of season on the total polyphenolic constituent in different plant parts of P. integrifolia, their antioxidant potential and preclinical evaluation of hepatoprotective lead compounds.