An in vitro and in silico evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the bioactive compounds in Majapahit (Crescentia cujete L.) fruit

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Majapahit (Crescentia cujete L.) fruit extract acts as a natural antibacterial agent due to its bioactive constituents such as tannins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and saponins. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of Majapahit fruit against Vibrio harveyi both in vitro and in silico. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Column chromatography, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used for in vitro analysis. In silico analysis was performed using PubChem(®) database, Pass Online (Way2Drug.com©), Search Tool 17 Interacting Chemicals (STITCH), and UNIPROT database (https://www.uniprot.org/). RESULTS: The MIC was found to be 0.313 mg/mL. Within the concentration range of 0.313 mg/mL-10 mg/mL, Majapahit fruit extract could inhibit the growth of V. harveyi, while lower concentrations of 0.078 mg/mL and 0.165 mg/mL indicated the presence of bacterial growth. The pathogenic mechanism of V. harveyi on vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) involved targeting cytochrome P450, cyclin-dependent kinase 6, and caspases 3 and 8. This was indicated by cell damage observed through TEM. CONCLUSION: This study provides comprehensive results on the potential of Majapahit fruit as a natural antibacterial agent. Thus, Majapahit fruit can be considered for functional food applications.