Screening of Justicia simplex for Skin Lesions: An In Vitro Study
Abstract
Introduction: Skin diseases demand excessive and continuous use of antibiotics and skin ointments that are expensive for the general public. Treatment in the later stages makes it more complicated and incurable. This would also result in the emergence of resistant strains of microbes, among other side effects. The present study evaluates the wound healing, antibacterial, and antifungal efficacies of the hexane extract of leaves of the medicinal herb Justicia simplex and detects the potent compounds.
Materials and Methods: The wound healing efficacy of the extract was evaluated by in vitro scratch assay. Antimicrobial activities were studied by the agar well diffusion method. The potent compounds present in the extracts were identified by FTIR analysis. Drug-likeness of the compounds was predicted by employing the SWISSADME web tool and pharmacological activities by the PASS online software.
Results: The study proved the effectiveness of J. simplex against pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and its wound healing properties. The bioactive compounds identified were ethyl 6,9,12-hexadecatrienoate, 17-octadecynoic acid, and n-hexadecanoic acid. All the compounds were very likely to exhibit anti-eczematic activity and obey the Lipinski rule of drug-likeness.
Conclusions: The study reveals the synergistic action of various compounds present in J. simplex which prompted the use of the plant as a curative agent in folk medicine. The plant can be used as a source for novel drug discovery but requires further investigation.
How to cite this article:
Kumar R P, Chithra S K J. Screening of Justicia simplex for Skin Lesions: An In Vitro Study. Chettinad Health City Med J. 2024;13(2):63-68.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2278.2044.202430
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