Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. essential oil as a promising source of bioactive compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and dermatoprotective properties: In vitro and in silico evidence

Naoufal El Hachlafi; Kawtar Fikri-Benbrahim; Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli; Amine Elbouzidi; Mohamed Jeddi; Emad M Abdallah; Hamza Assaggaf; Abdelhakim Bouyahya; Sulaiman Mohammed Alnasser; Ammar Attar; Khang Wen Goh; Long Chiau Ming; Seng-Kai Ong; Hanae Naceiri Mrabti; Fouad Ouazzani Chahdi

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23084

Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. essential oil as a promising source of bioactive compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and dermatoprotective properties: In vitro and in silico evidence

Heliyon. 2023 Dec 2;10(1):e23084. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23084. eCollection 2024 Jan 15.

Authors

Naoufal El Hachlafi¹, Kawtar Fikri-Benbrahim¹, Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli², Amine Elbouzidi^{3

4}, Mohamed Jeddi¹, Emad M Abdallah⁵, Hamza Assaggaf⁶, Abdelhakim Bouyahya⁷, Sulaiman Mohammed Alnasser⁸, Ammar Attar⁶, Khang Wen Goh⁹, Long Chiau Ming¹⁰, Seng-Kai Ong¹⁰, Hanae Naceiri Mrabti^{11

12}, Fouad Ouazzani Chahdi¹²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules, Sciences and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Road, Fez P.O. Box 2202, Morocco.
² Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, 17 Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
³ Laboratoire D'Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda, 60000, Morocco.
⁴ Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (UEMF), Fes, Morocco.
⁵ Department of Science Laboratories, College of Science and Arts, Qassim University, Ar Rass 51921, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, 10106, Morocco.
⁸ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraidah, 51452, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, 71800, Nilai, Malaysia.
¹⁰ School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City, Malaysia.
¹¹ High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques Casablanca, Morocco.
¹² Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Fez- Morocco, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco.

Abstract

Tetraclinis articulata is a known traditional medicinal plant used to manage various ailments, such as diabetes, rheumatism and infectious diseases. This study aims to determine the chemical constituents of T. articulata essential oil (EO) and to evaluate its in vitro antibacterial, anti-candidal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and dermatoprotective properties. In addition, a computational docking approach was used to predict the potential antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties of the identified compounds. The volatile oil obtained by hydrodistillation was characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of T. articulata EO was investigated using three complementary assays: DPPH, ABTS and FRAP. Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and tyrosinase enzymes were used to assess the anti-inflammatory and dermatoprotective effects of this oil. Moreover, disc-diffusion technique, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays were employed for the antimicrobial screening. The GC-MS analysis revealed that bornyl acetate (41.80 %), α-pinene (17.97 %) and camphor (15.97 %) are the major components of the studied EO. Moreover, T. articulata EO has exhibited promising antioxidant effect on FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS experiments. It also significantly inhibited 5-LOX (IC₅₀ = 67.82 ± 0.03 μg/mL) and tyrosinase (IC₅₀ = 211.93 ± 0.02 μg/mL). The results of MIC and MBC assays indicated that T. articulata EO is able to inhibit the growth of all tested bacteria (Gram + and Gram -) and Candida species. The ratio of tolerance level indicated that the tested oil was bactericidal against the Gram + bacteria and Candida species, whereas it has a bacteriostatic behavior against the Gram^- bacteria. In light of these findings, T. articulata EO may be suggested as a potential pharmaceutical agent to prevent inflammation and skin problems and may serve as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant alternative for sustainable application in food products.

Keywords: Biological activities; GC-MS profiling; Microbial resistance; Molecular docking; Tetraclinis articulata.