Evaluation of the genotoxicity and mutagenicity of isoeleutherin and eleutherin isolated from Eleutherine plicata herb. using bioassays and in silico approaches

Abstract

The biological activities of Eleutherine plicata Herb. have been linked to isoeleutherin and eleutherin naphthoquinones. However, there are few reports in the literature regarding the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of these compounds. There are reports in the literature that the inhibition of topoisomerase II (TOPO II) is involved in the toxicity of these compounds, as it causes damage to cellular DNA. In this study, we evaluated the genotoxicity and mutagenicity of these compounds using a bioassay on Allium cepa and micronuclei. We also performed an in silico evaluation of the toxic potential of these molecules using the PreADMET server. Finally, to assess whether binding to TOPO II influences toxicity, we used molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In silico studies of prediction have demonstrated the identical toxicity profiles and mutagenicity for Algae, Daphnia, and fish. However, eleutherin proved to be more genotoxic, increasing the mitosis index, aberration index, and micronucleus, bud, and bridge were observed during metaphase. The results of docking and MD simulations demonstrated that the compounds were able to interact with the residues present in the enzyme binding pocket. Throughout the MD trajectories, the compounds showed molecular stability and the free energy results prove that the compounds formed a stable complex with TOPO II. These results provide new insights into the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of isoeleutherin and eleutherin.

Keywords

• Genotoxicity
• Mutagenicity
• Naphthoquinones