Anti-Fertility Potential of Aceh Areca Nut Seed Extract: Phytochemical Analysis and Molecular Docking Study

Abstract

Areca nut seeds are rich in alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, and tannins, which exhibit antibacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fertility properties. However, the specific active constituents of Aceh areca nut seeds and their impact on anti-fertility effects remain unknown. This study aims to identify the active compounds in the ethanolic extract of locally obtained Aceh areca nut (Areca catechu) seeds and assess their potential as inhibitors of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Testosterone, Bone Morphogenic Protein 4 (BMP4), Mothers Against Decapentaplegic Signaling 1 (SMAD1), and protamine 1 by molecular docking approach. The composition of the ethanolic extract of Acehnese areca nut seeds was determined through phytochemical analysis, 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis while the biological activity of its compounds was evaluated through molecular docking. Phytochemical test results showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics and tannins in the ethanolic extract of Aceh areca nut seeds. The anti-oxidant activity was very strong with an IC50 value of 28.215 ppm. GC-MS analysis identified the compound n-Hexadecanoic acid (32.29%) as the main component in the ethanolic extract of Aceh local areca nut seeds, along with cis-Vaccenic acid (14.75%) which is a fatty acid. Molecular docking analysis showed that lupeol and stigmasta-3,5-diene demonstrated superior binding energies compared to a standard anti-fertility agent. These findings suggest that compounds from the ethanolic extract of Acehnese areca nut seeds have potential as inhibitors of FSH, testosterone, protamine 1, BMP4, SMAD1 based on their binding energies for further testing as new anti-fertility agents.