In silico Insights Into the Medicinal Potential of Phyllanthus amarus: Phytoconstituents and Therapeutic Applications

Abstract

Phyllanthus amarus is a globally distributed herb. Over the 3000 years, it has been used as traditional medicine. This plant is articulated in different languages differently like in Hindi- Bhuyiavla, Jangli amla, Marathi- Bhuivali, Bihari- Muikoa, Sanskrit- Bhumyaamlaki, etc. It is an herb that can grow between 30 and 75 cm tall annually. Worldwide, Phyllanthus amarus is a plant widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. In Indian Ayurveda, the Phyllanthus amarus is used as a traditional medicine. It treats various diseases such as cough, diuretics, menstrual problems, stomach, kidney, etc. Scientific research said that Phyllanthus amarus exhibits potency against multiple diseases including diabetes, arthritis, inflammation, convulsion, neuroactive, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, vasoconstriction, etc. Phyllanthus amarus has several secondary metabolites such as tannin, flavonoid, saponin, alkaloids, terpenoids, lignans, sterols, and volatile oils. Aqueous and non-aqueous extraction of Phyllanthus amarus and isolation of chemical compounds such as securinine, phyllanthine, rutin, quercitrin, amariin, geraniin, hypophyllanthins, isonirtetralin, amarosterol-A, phytol, phenazine, ursolic-acid, isolintetralin, etc. These compounds are responsible for pharmacological activity such as anti-cancer, antibacterial, analgesic, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory, etc. On the other hand, molecular docking is a potent computational process for studying molecular interactions from the drug discovery perspective. It is applied to forecast the orientation in which small drug molecules will bind to their protein targets, predicting their affinity and activity.

Keywords: Medicinal potential; Molecular docking; Phyllanthus amarus; Phytoconstituent,