Novel triterpenoid, Schidigeragenin B resourced from the mother tincture of Conium maculatum: A promising future Antidiabetic drug

Abstract

As of 2021, an estimated 537 million people had diabetes worldwide, accounting for 10.5 % of the adult population, with type 2 making up about 90 % of all cases. The common antidiabetic drugs have several problems like hypoglycemia, skin rash and itching, weight gain, kidney complications, etc. So, there is a need to explore safer alternative medications from natural sources. This study examines the antidiabetic potential and metabolomic profiling of Conium maculatum, a homeopathic medicine prescribed for diabetic patients. Potent DPPH scavenging of the sample was observed with an IC₅₀ value of 75.05 ± 6.33 μg/mL. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition by the mother tincture of Conium maculatum was evaluated through in-vitro studies, highlighting effective antidiabetic activity with IC₅₀ values of 86.53±1.76 μg/mL and 124±7.903 μg/mL, respectively. Metabolomic profiling of the mother tincture of Conium maculatum was done by LC-MS/MS to identify a total of 47 phyto-compounds that were subjected to ADMET profiling, followed by in-silico docking and MDS with target receptors associated with diabetes. Six compounds were short-listed for in-silico docking studies with five target proteins, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, GLUT-4, GLP-1, and IRS1. Three compounds, Schidigeragenin B, 10-oxo-11-octadecen-13-olide, and Distichonic acid A, showed strong binding affinities to these protein receptors, crucial for diabetes remediation. Among these compounds, Schidigeragenin B, a novel triterpenoid shows the strongest binding affinities towards these receptors, and the ADMET properties highlighted its drug likeness. Conclusively, the present study identified Schidigeragenin B, resourced from the mother tincture of Conium maculatum, as the potent bioactive antidiabetic molecule for combating diabetes.