Bridging the Chemical Profiles and Biological Effects of Spathodea campanulata Extracts: A New Contribution on the Road from Natural Treasure to Pharmacy Shelves

Abstract

Spathodea campanulata is an important medicinal plant with traditional uses in the tropical zone. In the current work, we aimed to determine the chemical profiles and biological effects of extracts (methanolic and infusion (water)) from the leaves and stem bark of S. campanulata. The chemical components of the tested extracts were identified using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS. Biological effects were tested in terms of antioxidant (radical scavenging, reducing power, and metal chelating), enzyme inhibitory (cholinesterase, amylase, glucosidase, and tyrosinase), antineoplastic, and antiviral activities. Fifty-seven components were identified in the tested extracts, including iridoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids as the main constituents. In general, the leaves-MeOH extract was the most active in the antioxidant assays (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, FRAP, metal chelating, and phosphomolybdenum). Antineoplastic effects were tested in normal (VERO cell line) and cancer cell lines (FaDu, HeLa, and RKO). The leaf infusion, as well as the extracts obtained from stem bark, showed antineoplastic activity (CC50 119.03–222.07 µg/mL). Antiviral effects were tested against HHV-1 and CVB3, and the leaf methanolic extract (500 µg/mL) exerted antiviral activity towards HHV-1, inhibiting the viral-induced cytopathic effect and reducing the viral infectious titre by 5.11 log and viral load by 1.45 log. In addition, molecular docking was performed to understand the interactions between selected chemical components and viral targets (HSV-1 DNA polymerase, HSV-1 protease, and HSV-1 thymidine kinase). The results presented suggest that S. campanulata may be a bright spot in moving from natural sources to industrial applications, including novel drugs, cosmeceuticals, and nutraceuticals.