Abstract
Northeast India is home to many herbal plants, so substantiating their medicinal properties with scientific proof is crucial. Dillenia indica possesses medicinal attributes, with its fruit harbouring numerous therapeutic properties. This study focuses on identifying the active phytocompounds of the fruit and assessing its antioxidant activities. The in vitro antioxidant potential of the aqueous fruit extract (AFE) and methanol fruit extract (MFE) of D. indica was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP methods. The in vivo antioxidant potential was evaluated by protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation, and (γ-l-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine) GSH estimation assays in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) study of MFE was performed to identify active and primary compounds in D. indica fruit. A docking study was used to identify the compounds and check their ability to bind to critical proteins. The MFE demonstrated a greater inhibitory concentration compared to the AFE. This suggests that methanol is a more effective solvent for extraction, correlating with the higher levels of polyphenols and flavonoids found in the MFE, which contribute to its antioxidative activity. Identifying these phytocompounds can aid in scientifically documenting their medicinal value and potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Several of those compounds showed good binding affinity with pro-oxidant proteins. Given its potent free radical scavenging properties, it also serves as a valuable source of antioxidants. Conclusion: D.indica possess antioxidant effects against alloxan-induced oxidative stress. Thus, D.indica could be a potential cardioprotective agent for reducing cardiac damage.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The author is thankful to DRS program, for infrastructural support to the Biochemistry Department, NEHU, Shillong. the authors extend their appreciation to Taif university, Saudi Arabia, for supporting this work through project number (TU-DSPP-2024-13).
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This research was funded by Taif University, Saudi Arabia, project No.(TU-DSPP-2024–13).
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J.B. and P.S. planning of the study, data collection, determination of the biological potentials; S.M and R.M involved in GC–MS analysis, statistical analysis, interpretation; T. J.S. Molecular docking analysis, S.R. writing of the manuscript; S.P. interpretation of the results; S.A. and N.F.Q. supervised the work. A.O.B. funding of the work. A. A.A. funding of the work. All authors contributed for preparation of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study has been performed in accordance with the Institutional Ethics Committee (Animal models) dated 4th December, 2020.
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The collection of Dillenia indica fruits from Assam, India (Voucher No: 12056). Dr. P.B. Gurung, Curator Herbarium, Department of Botany, NEHU, Shillong, Meghalaya, verified the authenticity of the sample specimen.
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Sahariah, P., Bora, J., Malik, S. et al. Pharmacognostic evaluation of Dillenia indica L. fruit for its in-vitro and in-vivo antioxidant potential and investigation of bioactive phytocompounds using GC–MS and in-silico analysis. Comp Clin Pathol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-025-03724-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-025-03724-4