Molecular Modeling Studies of β-Sitosterol Extract from Miconia burchellii Triana (Melastomataceae) from Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

The Brazilian Cerrado biome is considered one of the 25 hotspots worldwide that contain bioactive compounds due to its great biodiversity; however, the reduction of its native area over time due to the expansion of urbanization and agribusiness may have compromised knowledge of its biological variety. In this context, knowledge about Cerrado species can contribute to its biodiversity preservation. This study aims to describe the isolation, molecular architecture and theoretical calculations of the compound (3S,8S,9S,10R,13R,14S,17R)-17-[(2R,5R)-5-ethyl -6-methylheptan-2-yl]-10,13 dimethyl 2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol, extracted from the Brazilian Cerrado Miconia burchellii plant. The supramolecular arrangement was described by Hirshfeld surface analysis, demonstrating the intermolecular interactions in the crystalline packing. The structure-property relationship shows the electrostatic potential map analysis, which reveals that the oxygen region is susceptible to electrophilic attack, and the frontier molecular orbital confirmed the kinetic stability of this compound. This study represents another step forward in the knowledge of compounds with pharmacological and medicinal properties extracted from the Cerrado.