Network pharmacology, molecular docking study, and in vivo validation of the wound healing activity of the Red Sea soft coral Paralemnalia thyrsoides (Ehrenberg 1834) ethanolic extract and bioactive metabolites

Background

Wounds are a major health issue on a global scale, putting a great deal of financial, commercial, and social strain on healthcare organizations, patients, and individuals. So, this study aims to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of Paralemnalia thyrsoides soft coral total ethanolic extract. Also, bio-guided in vivo wound healing validation enhanced by the evaluation of related gene expression of Paralemnalia thyrsoides total extract, derived fractions, and three known metabolites was done. Furthermore, utilizing network pharmacology, we identified ten hub target genes associated with wound healing, including AKT1(RAC-alpha serine/threonine–protein kinase), IL6 (interleukin-6), MAPK3 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 3), MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9), and APP (amyloid P protein precursor). We conducted molecular docking to assess how the three compounds interact with these hub genes and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β (interleukin-1 beta), TGF-β (transforming growth factor-beta), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), and NF-KB (nuclear factor-kappa B) linked to wound healing.

Results

In vitro antioxidant activity of the total ethanolic extract of Paralemnalia thyrsoides revealed potent scavenging activity against H₂O₂ with IC₅₀ of 178.62 μg/mL. Additionally, the bio-guided scheme of the in vivo wound healing assay leads to the most active fraction, petroleum ether, with a healing percentage of 85% ± 4. Several chromatographic procedures upon petroleum ether fraction led to the isolation of three known compounds with significant in vivo wound healing potential which are recognized as triacontan-1-ol (1), 24-methylcholesterol (2) 6α-acetyl-7α-acetate-1(10)-α-13-nornardosine [C₁₆H₂₄O₄] (3). Noteworthy downregulation in Cox-2 (Cyclooxygenase-2), Cox-1 (Cyclooxygenase-1), IL-1β, TGF-β, TNF-α, NF-KB, and INF-ϒ (interferon-ϒ) relative genes expression and upregulation in TGF-β, and IL-10 (interleukin-10) relative genes expression proved that compounds (3), (2), and (1) were, respectively, significant. The in silico study suggests that both C₁₆H₂₄O₄ and 24-methyl cholesterol have potential in wound healing, possibly involving the regulation of RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1).

Conclusion

Our study highlights the antioxidant and wound-healing potential of Paralemnalia thyrsoides soft coral that can be attributed to its diverse chemical metabolites. The in vivo and in silico findings highlighted that P. thyrsoides can be an effective remedy for wound restoration with the need for extensive future detailed clinical studies to prove these results.