In silico molecular docking and in vitro analysis of ethanolic extract Ocimum sanctum Linn.: Inhibitory and apoptotic effects against non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), has been identified as the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The mortality rate from lung cancer has been estimated to be 18.4%. Until now, conventional treatments have not yielded optimal results, thus necessitating an investigation into the use of traditional herbal plants as potential candidates for its treatment. This study aimed to determine the inhibitory and apoptotic activity of the ethanolic extract from Ocimum sanctum Linn. (EEOS) by in silico molecular docking and through in vitro studies using NSCLC cells (A549 cell line). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dried simplicia of Ocimum sanctum was converted into EEOS using the maceration method. Spectrophotometry was then employed to analyze the EEOS compound. The known main active compounds were further analyzed for inhibitory and apoptotic effects on gene signaling using in silico molecular docking involving the downloading of active compounds from PubChem and target proteins from the Protein Data Bank; the active compounds and proteins were then prepared using the Discovery Studio software v. 19.0.0 and the PyRX 0.8 program, interacted with the HEX 8.0.0 program, and visualized with the Discovery Studio Visualizer v. 19.0. Finally, an in vitro analysis was performed using an antiproliferative-cytotoxic test (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in the NSCLC A549 cell line). RESULTS: The analysis revealed that the active compounds in the ethanolic extract were dominated by quercetin (flavonoids) (47.23% b/b) and eugenol (phenolic) (12.14% b/b). These active compounds interacted with the active sites (residual amino acids) of the αvβ3 integrin, a5b1 integrin, caspase-3, caspase-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Hydrogen bonds and Pi-cation and Pi-alkyl interactions were involved in the relationships between the active compounds and the active sites and thus may reveal an antioxidant property of the extract. Furthermore, in vitro analysis showed the inhibitory and antiproliferative effects of the EEOS against non-small cell cancer (A549). CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data showed the ability of EEOS as an inhibitor and apoptotic agent for lung cancer; however, further research is needed to determine the exact mechanism of EEOS as an herbal medication.